When the Mirror Cracks
by EndlessLunacy
Summary: The kings who demand for their desire of greed to be fulfilled. The gods who were no longer gods. Now, in a time where humans rule, they who triumph above all others fear not the simmering wrath of the silent gods. To break and to betray, an age-old war looms once more. Who is to be saved, and who is to do the saving? AU
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:**

All KNB characters in this story belong to Fujimaki Tadatoshi, creator of 黒子のバスケ/ Kuroko no Basuke / The Basketball Which Kuroko Plays.

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The sharp sounds of metal hitting against rocks echoed in the mines. Soft grunts of effort accompanied each hit.

Today was a good day. The sun was hidden behind a cloud, softening the harsh heat of the noon sun. They did not have to worry about collapsing from heat exhaustion before the guard blows his whistle to signal a break. If they failed to endure until the whistle blows, they would be punished.

A young man, with his black hair pushed back from his face with a towel, secretly glanced to the side. Pity shone in his eyes as he watched the thin body of the young teenage boy slaving away at the mines.

The poor boy had such weak stamina that he collapsed far too often. Of course, this led to the boy being covered in wounds. The barely healed whip lashes could be easily seen through the boy's sweat-soaked thin white shirt. The young man was sure the boy did not only carry whip marks, but also knife wounds on him.

As he observed the boy out of the corner of his eyes, the young man did not forget to hack away at the rocks with his pickaxe.

The man sighed. Hopefully, the boy would be spared from punishments today. Glancing away, the young man saw many others casting worried looks to the boy, some lifted their heads to the skies, studying the covered sun. He smiled slightly. Looks like he was not the only one relieved for the boy.

The only reason why the boy's wounds had not reopened even with such harsh movements was due to the healing powers of the middle aged man who was hacking away at a spot not too far away from the boy. The thin film of power covered the boy from head to toe, but because it was so thin, no one noticed.

Ah, no. That's not right. The only ones who did not notice was the guard watching over them. Everyone working in the mines knew, could see the power covering the boy. Because they were special. They were all humans, yet not.

They were humans gifted with powers, and were called Demigods.

The powers could range from simple offense to complicated healing power.

Long, long ago, demigods of old were worshiped by normal humans. The demigods adored the humans who held such respect for them, and so they changed their appearances, becoming identical to normal humans, to connect closer to them. Their efforts were rewarded, and the humans' devotion to them grew even more.

Faced with such feelings, the demigods repaid in kind. They constantly reached out to help the humans, be it healing their life-threatening illnesses or defending them from evil monsters keen on devouring humans.

By maintaining the balance, demigods and humans coexisted peacefully for many years.

But then, slowly, the humans became greedy.

They wanted the demigods to share their power, said it was unfair for only demigods to have such divine powers. They demanded for 'equality'. The demigods of old tried over and over again to explain that the bodies of demigods were different; though they had the same appearances as humans, but that was nothing more than an illusion. Their true bodies were in fact, very different from humans.

If normal humans were to receive the vast power of a demigod, they would immediately die.

But the humans were relentless.

They turned a deaf ear to the demigods' words and warnings, and insisted to be given power.

The demigods of old loved the humans, so they came to a compromise. They could not give their powers to the humans, so they created special beings for the humans. These beings were almost equal to a demigod in power, and had similar appearance to an orc. The demigods gave them the ability to learn, to communicate.

The humans were ecstatic, and called them Otrok.

The demigods were relieved that the humans no longer endangered their own lives due to their greed for power. And the humans who were finally given what they wanted began to live peacefully with the demigods once more.

Many years passed without any changes.

However, humans were always, always a very greedy race.

They became unsatisfied with their position. And so they used the Otrok, who were on par with an actual demigod, to fight against the demigods. They wanted to erase the existence of demigods; they wanted to be the one to stand at the top.

The demigods of old were deeply hurt by the actions of the humans they loved. To protect themselves, they fought with the humans. They shed their human appearance, and resumed their original forms.

The original forms of the demigods were grotesque, terrifying, and this spurred on the humans to eliminate such hideous monsters. Many demigods died in that war that lasted for years. Eventually, the demigods were tired. Supporting each other, the remaining demigods escaped. But they were sure to destroy as many of the Otrok as they could before leaving.

With so many of them destroyed, the humans to become infuriated. But as a majority of their strength had been destroyed, they couldn't continue the drawn-out war nor could they stop the demigods from fleeing. With barely a handful of Otrok left on the earth, the demigods fled to the skies, returning to where they had lived before coming down to earth.

But there were repercussions of using so much of their power to destroy the Otrok. The demigods of old became extremely weak.

With every generation, the power of the demigods continued to weaken.

And eventually, they fell into the hands of humans.

Humans advanced, building palaces and establishing statuses. Only the royalty would have the privilege of owning one of the very few Otrok left. These Otrok were carefully trained to be obedient only to the humans, just the way the humans wanted. Then, the humans changed history to their liking, feeding false information to the people. And the result was obvious.

Demigods were scorned by humans, made into slaves, used for hard labour that no human would willingly do. With them losing more and more of their powers, their bodies changed and started to take on the forms of humans. There was no need for their enhanced bodies to contain such strong powers anymore, thus they became just like humans.

Now, even if one comes from a lineage of demigods, it did not necessarily mean that they would have powers. But one thing remained the same, that all descendants of demigods could see 'power'. An ability the humans would never have. But that did not matter, for they have the obedient Otrok. The Otrok monitored everything for the humans.

If a slave demigod dared to use their power during their 'training', they would receive even harsher punishments. With the history manipulated by the humans, there was nowhere for a demigod to run to. The people will not support them. Thus, the demigods were left with no choice but to endure, endure and endure.

That was why, even though that boy with shockingly weak stamina possessed powers so strong that it left other demigods descendants in awe, he could never use them. As long as he remained a captive, the boy did not have a choice. So the boy sealed a majority of his powers. No matter how injured the boy was, he refused to lift his seal. The other descendants could only sigh, and help take care of the boy.

Kuroko Tetsuya was the boy's name.

Taken away by the humans at seven years old, Kuroko Tetsuya had been a slave ever since then. One would think that Kuroko had no memories of when he was still together with his parents, but Kuroko would smile whenever the other descendants had whispered conversations about the family they no longer had. Seeing that, they were relieved, for Kuroko to be able to smile as such meant that he was able to experience a happy childhood, even if it was short.

The other descendants were wary of Kuroko at first, because even though Kuroko was only seven years old, his eyes did not look like that of a child's. Even at seven years of age, Kuroko had already started sealing himself. Back then, Kuroko had scarily low presence, making him practically undetectable. This angered the human king, and Kuroko was constantly punished (when they finally managed to find him).

But Kuroko learnt fast. He forced himself to make it easier for others to spot him which resulted in Kuroko constantly tiring himself out. But because he was now easily visible, the human king's anger subsided. Throwing him to work in the mines, the king easily forgot his existence.

The king forgot, but the human lords under him did not. So Kuroko could only continue to make himself easily visible. Being perpetually tired, and forced into hard labour under the unforgiving weather with barely any breaks for water, led to Kuroko collapsing often.

"Kusame-san." A soft voice murmured beside the young man who was lost in his thoughts.

The young man with black hair jumped, nearly dropping his pickaxe. He turned to the side.

"Ah, Kuroko-kun? What is it?"

Round black eyes blinked at him.

"It's time for a break. The guard blew his whistle." Kuroko said.

"Oh? I didn't notice. I was caught up in my memories." Kusame swung an arm around Kuroko's shoulders. "Let's hurry and get some water."

Kuroko smiled.

"Are you looking through history again?" He asked.

Kusame nodded. "I guess it's a good thing that our demigod blood allows us to view the untainted history. Humans are amazing, aren't they? To be able to twist history so much." He sneered.

Kuroko only blinked in reply.

Kusame noticed him staring, and quickly put away his angered expression. Instead, he smiled and then he ruffled Kuroko's hair. Laughing, he said, "I also remembered when I first met you. You were one scary kid."

Kuroko chuckled.

"Is that so?"

Kusame nodded his head in reply before quickly reaching up to catch the two bottles of water thrown at him. The person who thrown it was the middle aged man, Ryuu. Ryuu could be said to be taller than an average man, with broad shoulders and a large build. He gave off a rather intimidating presence. Currently scowling at Kusame, Ryuu's dark brown hair was dripping with sweat. Kusame swiftly handed one bottle to Kuroko, then lifted his hands away from him, acting innocent. He turned away, guzzling down the bottle of water.

Kuroko also drank down the water greedily. The wounds Kusame had caused to reopen were easily healed with a very slight burst of warm light from Ryuu. Kuroko did not mind, he knew Kusame did not do it on purpose. Besides, his body was always in pain, so it was a little hard for Kuroko to identify which part hurt more.

The sharp sound of a whistle rang out once more.

Break was over.

* * *

Life as a demigod slave was very mundane.

Wake up, have breakfast, work in the mines, dinner and then sleep. Lunch was not provided, because no one would die from a lack of food when they were already given two meals a day. As much as possible, the humans wanted to conserve their precious food for other humans. Making the slaves go hungry was fine, as long as they did not die.

Kuroko has lived this life for many years, although this restrictive schedule was changed whenever he was punished for 'slacking off'. Because apparently, to the humans, collapsing from exhaustion was considered as slacking. Kuroko did not care much, just that it was annoying that he had to place extra caution in his seals to prevent his power from leaking out in the presence of the Otrok stationed in the torture room.

But today was a little different.

Today, the slaves were all gathered in the rather rundown living room of the demigod's dorm. Apparently, new slaves were to join them. It was not unusual to receive new slaves, but they have never been told to gather like this before. So these new slaves had to be special.

They were all curious, but the room was silent. No one talked to each other. Well, no one wanted to, especially not in the presence of an Otrok. Soon enough, multiple footsteps approached. As one, everyone's head turned to the door.

The first person to step in was the human lord in charge of the slaves.

Following after him, were the new slaves. Everyone's eyes widened. The new slaves were…colourful. Yellow, green, purple, dark blue and red. Those hair and eye colours were extremely unique, and a characteristic of a strong demigod. Perhaps it would be better to call it 'exceptionally strong'. Even among the demigods of old, very few had such colours. And humans obviously did not have such hair colours, mostly black, brown or blond.

Actually, Kuroko himself was rather 'colourful', but because he had sealed so much of his powers, his hair and eyes turned black, blending him in as an ordinary demigod to the humans. Humans would scrutinise the colours a demigod bore, to determine their strength. Kuroko knew that, so he had painfully sealed himself to avoid attention.

But these new slaves did not hide themselves, they even walked around proudly. The human lord was clearly very displeased, but he did not say anything.

The human lord gave a very brief introduction of the new slaves, not even bothering to say their names. He then ordered the other demigod slaves to keep an eye on the new slaves and report any breach of orders. Although no one reacted, the slaves all had the same thought.

 _Like hell we would help you humans to increase your control over us._

Kuroko felt the gaze of someone on him, so he turned away from the human lord and to the source of the stare. He was met with a pair of red eyes with narrowed pupils. Kuroko blinked, but did not look away.

Abruptly, a tiny smirk appeared and vanished just as fast. Those red eyes finally shifted their gaze, no longer watching (studying?) Kuroko.

Right after that, the slaves were all rushed out to work in the mines. The king wants his diamonds, and they had better fulfill the quota set by the king by the time night has fallen. The other demigods only picked up their weapons with a soft, barely audible sigh, and started working. They all stayed away from the colourful group.

It was not quite because of fear that they stayed away, but more of respect. The memories in their blood told them that they were powerful, and to maintain a proper distance out of respect. While the lesser demigods did have some fear, it was not enough to overpower the respect they felt as well.

But for Kuroko, because he himself could be considered as an exceptionally strong demigod, he did not feel the need to keep a distance. So he simply headed to his usual spot and started hacking away.

Compared to everyone else, the distance between Kuroko and the group was considerably small.

This of course, drew the attention of the group.

The one with yellow hair and eyes moved towards the red haired demigod, leaning his body over the smaller man's back. The yellow eyes remained locked on Kuroko.

"Akashicchi, that boy over there…" The yellow demigod whispered into 'Akashicchi's' ear.

"Mm, I'm not too sure myself, but I believe he is like us." The red-haired demigod softly answered the unfinished question. Then his voice increased in volume, "And let go of me, Kise. You're heavy."

"Ehh, stingy. Murasakibaracchi does this all the time and you never complained! No fair!" Kise whined.

A large hand plucked Kise off of Akashi, dangling him in the air.

"Kise-chin. Aka-chin says to let go."

"Wah! Murasakibaracchi! Don't do that, it's scary! See, I've already released Akashicchi. Let me go!"

Kise was dropped to the ground, landing hard on his butt.

"That hurts." Kise pouted, though he was ignored.

"Akashi, we should introduce ourselves. It seems we have already drawn quite some attention. And the guard standing above looks rather angry." The green haired bespectacled man said.

Akashi nodded.

Completely ignoring the human guard, Akashi had Kise call over all the demigods. They crowded in front of the group. And of course, the human guard was livid, blowing his whistle loudly and ordering them all to get back to work.

Akashi silenced the guard with a single glare.

The guard was so afraid that he peed in his pants. Yes, Akashi and his little group were different from all the lesser demigods that the humans were used to. Akashi smirked. Even the king could not do anything, not after they displayed some of their power by destroying one of the treasured Otrok.

The king was extremely reluctant, but still managed to treat them with barely there respect. Akashi didn't care though. Respect from humans meant nothing to him. The king allowed them to roam around the palace freely, but Akashi only requested to be where all the other demigods were.

The human lord clearly did not receive any instructions from the king, for he dared to address them as slaves. Nevermind, he would leave that lord to Aomine, for him to play with.

Akashi's gaze swept across the demigods before him, lingering very briefly on the boy who caught his attention earlier.

With a single nod from Akashi, the little group introduced themselves.

Midorima Shintarou, Aomine Daiki, Murasakibara Atsushi, Kise Ryouta and Akashi Seijuurou.

The lesser demigods all introduced themselves as well, and though Akashi nodded courteously, he was more interested in the boy. And he was not the only one. Akashi could see Kise fidgeting restlessly.

Finally, it was the boy's turn. Midorima's breathing picked up a little. And Akashi's lips twitched into a small smile. Indeed, everyone had noticed the boy.

"Kuroko Tetsuya." The boy murmured softly.

Immediately, the group froze. Even Akashi had frozen, his eyes widened in shock.

"…Akashi-san? Is there something wrong?" A lesser demigod questioned.

Akashi pulled himself together, and shook his head with a smile.

"It's good to meet you all. Please, get back to work." Akashi pretty much ordered the lesser demigods.

They all nodded and returned to their stations.

Five pairs of eyes followed Kuroko Tetsuya's every move.

"…A..Akashi..." Aomine choked out.

"It can't be. No, it can't. Perhaps it's just someone with the same name." Midorima forcefully spoke, as though he wanted to desperately hypnotise himself.

"Shintarou," Akashi murmured. Midorima tensed, glancing at the terrifying gold eye. "I want to know, Shintarou. I have to know." Akashi grounded out.

Midorima's eyes closed. Eventually, he exhaled softly as he nodded.

"But not here. Akashi-kun, please wait until we get back to the rundown house." Midorima said.

"I understand." Akashi's gold eye faded, turning back into red.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:**

Thank you for the support!

And to Zanas-kun, there will not be any explicit yaoi scenes so don't worry! (:

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Kuroko had a strange feeling of dread all throughout dinner. It really did not help that those five strong demigods kept staring at him.

Was his cover blown? Did they know that he was a strong demigod as well? But that shouldn't matter, right? After all, Kuroko did not know who they were. He has never met them before.

If Kuroko explained to them that he had no wish to draw attention to himself, they should understand. Or so, Kuroko hopes.

On his way back to his room, Kuroko was ambushed.

Kuroko was trapped in a tight circle, surrounded by all five strong demigods. None of them spoke, so Kuroko broke the silence first.

"Erm, did you need something from me?" He asked.

Akashi stepped forward. Kuroko focused on him.

"Kuroko Tetsuya." Akashi said.

Perplexed, Kuroko only nodded back.

"You are a strong demigod, no? Why do you hide your powers?" Akashi questioned.

"I just do not want to draw attention." Kuroko replied, a little surprised.

"But you are a strong demigod, it is easy to make the humans obey you." Akashi frowned.

Kuroko blinked.

"About that, perhaps you are mistaken? I am a strong demigod, yes. But I am not strong enough fight against the Otrok on my own."

Akashi's eyebrow rose. Not just him, the other four demigods surrounding him all had the same expressions of disbelief.

Aomine suddenly grabbed onto Kuroko's shoulder. "Tetsu, what nonsense are you saying?"

Kuroko jerked, shocked at the forceful action.

Why was Aomine suddenly angry? Did he say something wrong?

"Are you angry? But I only told the truth." Kuroko murmured.

" _The truth?_ That's not the truth!" Aomine growled. His eyes blazed with power.

Kuroko flinched.

"Daiki, move away."

Both Aomine and Kuroko turned to face Akashi. Aomine obediently moved back after an internal struggle with himself. Kuroko did not look away from Akashi. Akashi's eyes were different. No, rather, only one eye was different. It was gold.

Kuroko did not know why, but the more he stared, the faster his heart started to beat.

Akashi stepped up close to Kuroko. Kuroko's heartbeat was so loud, racing in his ears and blocking out everything else. Akashi lifted his hand, and gently rested it on Kuroko cheek.

Neither Kuroko nor Akashi spoke for long moments.

"Tetsuya." Akashi softly called his name, almost whispering. "Are you Tetsuya? Or are you only a fake?" He asked.

Akashi's voice rang in Kuroko's ears. Kuroko did not understand.

"I don't understand."

Akashi frowned.

"Tetsuya, do you not remember?"

Kuroko suddenly found himself short of breath, his chest heaved as he struggled to draw in air. He did not realise that he had raised his arms, and with a strong shove, he pushed Akashi away.

 _...No, stay away from me!_

Akashi stumbled back.

Now that Akashi was no longer looking at him, Kuroko's mind cleared. Without wasting time, Kuroko sprinted past the confused Akashi and headed straight for his room, slamming the door close.

Kuroko slowly slid down to the floor, curling up with the door against his back.

He coughed, gasping as he inhaled desperately in order to calm himself.

What was that? Akashi… What was Akashi after? What did those words mean?

Kuroko's head throbbed.

He pushed himself up from the ground, stumbling towards his bed. With his face buried in his pillow, Kuroko felt a little better.

After a few moments, Kuroko turned his head a little, adjusting his body to lie on his side. He stared blankly into the darkness of his room.

…And why did Akashi seem so familiar?

Kuroko's eyes closed.

* * *

"Akashicchi…" Kise whispered.

They had returned back to their room, and the moment they entered, Akashi had sat himself down on a couch and slumped over, burying his face behind his hands.

No matter what Kise said, Akashi only shook his head in response.

Helpless, Kise glanced at Midorima.

Midorima looked equally helpless, but he still attempted to speak.

"Akashi, tomorrow… you can try again tomorrow." Midorima fumbled for something to say, hopefully this would work?

But Akashi only shook his head again.

Silence fell.

Eventually, Murasakibara spoke.

"Aka-chin. Is Kuroko Tetsuya 'Kuro-chin'?"

Akashi tensed.

"Mm, no? He's not Kuro-chin?"

Akashi finally spoke in a soft voice. "I...Kuro…" he sighed.

"Aka-chin?" Murasakibara kneeled in front of Akashi, head tilted to the side.

"Kuroko Tetsuya should be him." Akashi finally admitted.

"Then, we can go take Kuro-chin?" Murasakibara glowed happily. But no one else shared his joy.

Akashi shook his head again. He still refused to lift his head.

"Why?" Murasakibara frowned.

"…There's something blocking me from him. That, coupled with how he rejected me, I cannot go near him anymore."

"But, Akashi, you're strong. Even if Kuroko does not allow you near him, surely you could find a way?" Midorima asked.

Akashi finally let his hands fall away from his face and raised his head. Sharp intakes of breaths echoed.

"That...your face… Did Kuro-chin _curse_ you?" Murasakibara's eyes flashed with anger.

Midorima immediately tilted Akashi's head up, staring at the blue lines scarring the left side of his face. Midorima's brows knitted as he frowned hard.

Akashi sighed.

"He did curse me, but I do not believe it was on purpose."

"Impossible. Kurokocchi would never do that!" Kise growled.

"But Kuro-chin did!" Murasakibara snarled back. "I will force Kuro-chin to remove it. Under Kuro-chin's curses, Aka-chin will not be able to use his powers." Standing up, Murasakibara abruptly found that he could not even take a single step. He glanced down at Akashi.

Akashi was glaring at him.

Murasakibara grumbled, but sat back down.

"Murasakibara, don't bother Kuroko. I cannot use most of my powers but I am still strong enough even then." Akashi ordered.

"But! Aka-chin –"

"No." Akashi cut off all of Murasakibara's protests with one word.

Murasakibara deflated, but his eyes were still alight with anger.

"Kuroko did not do it on purpose." Akashi sighed, repeating himself.

"But Akashicchi, if it was not on purpose, the curse would not even hit you." Kise frowned.

"There is something else. For sure, that is Kuroko Tetsuya, our Kuroko Tetsuya. But there is something interfering with us."

"…Does that mean they know about Tetsu?" Aomine, who was silent until now, finally spoke.

Akashi nodded.

"If they did not, they would not go to such lengths to prevent us from meeting. And Kuroko…it seems he does not know who we are."

Everyone stiffened.

Murasakibara looked very conflicted.

"Then, Aka-chin, does that mean that Kuro-chin is under someone's control?"

Akashi twitched. "That, yes and no, perhaps."

"What do you mean?" Midorima stared blankly at Akashi.

"If he was under someone's complete control then it would not be possible for him to seal himself so well that he becomes an ordinary demigod. The only thing that I can infer from what happened earlier, was that Kuroko is only partially controlled. However, the control over Kuroko increases when we are near him."

Midorima fell back into the sofa.

"Damn…" Aomine growled, sinking to the floor where he was leaning against the wall.

"We have to release Kurokocchi!" Kise was nearly wailing.

Midorima grunted. "How? We can't even approach him! Surely you have not forgotten just how strong Kuroko is? If we were to be hit with one of his curses, we would die!"

Kise slumped to the ground, looking like a broken doll.

Midorima was merciless though, and continued, "I would even say that we were lucky that Akashi was the one who was hit. Akashi is extremely strong, therefore he could bear the strength of Kuroko's curses. But that alone had cost him immense power. Are you trying to test Akashi's endurance by having Kuroko throw another curse at him?"

Akashi sighed. "Enough, Midorima."

Midorima fell silent, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Let us rest for today." Akashi murmured.

His soft suggestion was accepted with silent nods.

* * *

Kuroko carefully avoided the group of strong demigods during breakfast and stayed a little further away from them at the mines.

Though, halfway through, Kuroko realised that they were also avoiding him.

Kuroko blinked, a little unsure how to react.

The group of five did not work, only standing near the terrified human guard as they observed everyone else. The demigod slaves were given a break every hour, which was a complete luxury as compared to before.

The demigod Kise would smile at the guard every now and then, forcing him to blow the whistle to call for a break.

Kuroko found himself feeling better than he ever had.

With the constant breaks and water, Kuroko no longer felt like he was going to faint. And the other demigods all seemed equally happy as well. Kuroko was thankful to the odd little group.

After dinner, Kuroko made up his mind.

He slowly approached the group. He could have a proper talk with them.

However, before he reached where the group was seated, Akashi suddenly collapsed, and started trembling violently. Immediately, the other four whipped their heads around and stared at Kuroko.

Emotions flashed across their faces, too fast for Kuroko to identify everything. But Kuroko could make out pain and helplessness.

Murasakibara was the first to turn away, picking up Akashi and bolting out of the living room. The rest quickly followed after him.

Kuroko froze.

What was going on?

* * *

"Aka-chin? Aka-chin, are you alright?"

Akashi groaned softly. His body was sore. He blinked his eyes open. Murasakibara's anxious face was ridiculously close.

Akashi lifted an arm, weakly pushing Murasakibara away.

Murasakibara obediently distanced himself.

Akashi sighed. "Did Kuroko approach us?"

A nod.

Akashi blinked lazily. He was feeling remarkably tired.

"Aka-chin, how are you feeling?"

"Tired. And the sensation of my body burning from the inside is still lingering."

Murasakibara frowned.

"If Kuro-chin was here, he could heal you. Both physically and mentally."

Akashi laughed a little.

"Isn't it funny? Kuroko has the ability to cause immeasurable pain, and yet at the same time, he possesses the best healing power ever known among us demigods."

Murasakibara only smiled little.

"You should include 'death' in there, Akashi. Tetsu can also cause deaths of the people around him once he is seriously pissed off." Aomine snorted.

Akashi smirked.

"Yes, there's that as well."

Midorima sighed. "It is a good thing that Kuroko's temper is usually very mild. Even when angry, he would choose to fight fairly rather than just killing everyone, be it demigods or humans, with his power."

"But the Kurokocchi now is not Kurokocchi! He's being controlled, so we can't get near him. It's very painful, you know. It's like all our efforts to search for him all these years were for nothing!" Kise screamed into a pillow. Though his words were muffled, they were still able to figure them out.

Akashi sighed. The unsightly blue scars covering his face appeared once again. It look a lot of effort for Akashi to hide them during the day, and now that he was weak, the scars surfaced again.

"I will rest for a while." Akashi informed, already closing his eyes.

* * *

"You can't, Kuro-chin."

"Murasakibara-kun, please move."

"No, Kuro-chin. You can't."

"Please let me through."

"No."

"Murasakibara-kun."

"Kuro-chin, you cannot do this."

Akashi awakened to the sound of voices. He could not focus well enough on the conversation, but he was curious.

"Kuro-chin!"

Akashi's eyes widened. Kuroko? What was Kuroko doing here? This was a section of the palace Akashi had claimed (coerced) from the human king. How did Kuroko find out about this place?

"I want to meet Akashi-kun!"

Akashi jerked. With a soft cry, he fell off the sofa. The scars on his face burned. He reflexively cuddled the scarred side of his face gingerly.

"Akashi!" Midorima had just walked in from the other entrance, and the first thing he saw was Akashi curled up on the floor.

He rushed towards Akashi, trying desperately to help the shaking man. "Akashi, what's wrong?"

Before Akashi could respond, Midorima received his answer in the form of Murasakibara's shout.

"Stop, Kuro-chin!"

Midorima's head snapped up, and his mouth fell open.

Why was Kuroko here?!

But Midorima did not have any time left to react any more than this, for Kuroko was already in the room, standing at the doorway.

Kuroko blankly stared at Akashi for a moment before rushing to Akashi's side.

Upon reaching he urgently asked, "Akashi-kun? What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

Upon having Kuroko close to him, and hearing his voice so close, the burning pain from the cursed scar faded away. Kuroko had issued an order, that he 'wanted to see Akashi' thus when that order was fulfilled, the pain disappeared. Akashi lifted his head, staring at Kuroko.

Kuroko gasped when he saw Akashi's face.

He sank to his knees before Akashi, reaching out to touch Akashi's face.

"This…what is this? Since when did you have this?" Kuroko questioned.

Before Akashi could say something stupid like 'it's nothing', Midorima rushed to answer Kuroko. Akashi was always too overprotective. He wanted to protect Kuroko from the knowledge that he was hurt by Kuroko himself.

"It's a curse. Your curse, Kuroko. You cursed Akashi the last time you met."

"Midorima!" Akashi hissed.

Kuroko's hand fell away from Akashi's face and he stared at Midorima in shock. "What? My curse? How is that possible? I do not have the power to do such things!"

"It is yours, Kuroko. Why did you think Akashi collapsed earlier during dinner? Wasn't it because you had subconsciously rejected being anywhere near Akashi, thus resulting in him being cursed?"

"Silence, Shintarou!" Akashi snarled.

Midorima grimaced. He turned away from Akashi, and kept his head low in respect.

"Akashi-kun, is that true?" Kuroko asked. He seemed to be completely unaffected by Akashi's display of power through his voice. Only the real Kuroko could stand up to him. Akashi was conflicted, he did not want to hurt Kuroko but he did not want to lie either.

"Tell me the truth, Akashi-kun." Kuroko had phrased it as an order, and Akashi found himself nodding before he could stop it.

Kuroko flinched. As did Akashi.

A few tensed moments later, Kuroko finally reached out to touch Akashi again. He lightly traced the scars.

Akashi could not move away.

"I did not realise that I had done something so horrible. I am sorry, Akashi-kun."

Akashi quickly shook his head.

"You did not know, right? Based on your reactions earlier, you did not know you had such a power, therefore you are not to be blamed."

"But it is still my power. For me to not know that I had such powers is my fault. I was not thorough enough when I had last checked through my powers."

"No, Kuroko."

Kuroko shook his head, clearly unwilling to hear Akashi's excuses for his actions.

"I know how to heal, but will my healing powers take away the curse?" Kuroko asked, wide eyes staring hopefully at Akashi.

Midorima finally spoke then, because Kuroko had successfully calmed Akashi down, so he no longer had any hold over Midorima.

"You have to remove the curse first. Because removing a curse is a process that is extremely painful for the victim, they would be made to suffer through physical and mental pain. Only after that should you use your powers to heal Akashi."

Kuroko frowned. "But I do not know how."

Midorima stared at Kuroko for a while. "You sealed yourself, didn't you? If you release your seals, you would know."

But Kuroko shook his head. "I don't want to draw attention."

"Kuro-chin, it's weird you know." Murasakibara spoke up from where he was quietly observing the interaction between Kuroko and Akashi.

"What do you mean, Murasakibara-kun?"

"Why is Kuro-chin so afraid of attention? Kuro-chin is very, very strong. I even acknowledged you myself, and I don't like weak people. Before, Kuro-chin did not care, right? Because Kuro-chin could always disappear. And sometimes you hide yourself so well that even Aka-chin has difficulties finding you."

Murasakibara blinked.

"If you can hide from Aka-chin, why should you be scared of the humans?"

Murasakibara reached out and lifted Kuroko's head, staring into his eyes.

"Are you truly scared, Kuro-chin? Or is there someone who implanted that idea in your head?"

Kuroko's body trembled.

All of a sudden, his head throbbed painfully and his vision became blurry. His head went light and he lost all feeling in his body. He had no idea that he had collapsed, falling into Murasakibara's arms.

His eyes were still open, but he was no longer looking at the floor of the palace. His vision was replaced with bright flashes of colours. White, grey, grey, black. And then white again.

Without his consent, Kuroko's hands lifted to his neck, and he started strangling himself.

Akashi moved fast, tearing Kuroko's hands away and using all his strength to hold Kuroko down.

"Kuroko Tetsuya!" Akashi shouted. But Kuroko couldn't hear him, couldn't process anything going on around him. Akashi repeatedly called his name again and again. Still, there was no response. Akashi's eyes narrowed, and then he yelled at Kuroko, his voice taking on an almost desperate tone. "Don't lose yourself!"

He did not know how long Akashi had been calling for him, but when he had a moment of clarity, he immediately focused on Akashi's voice, grasping on to it to help him maintain his consciousness. Finally, Kuroko regained himself enough that he was able to look at Akashi, though he could not see well. His vision narrowed in onto a pair of red eyes.

Seeing that Kuroko appeared to be aware, Akashi did not lose this opportunity.

"Kuroko Tetsuya, who is controlling you?" He demanded.

Kuroko's mouth open, and he struggled to speak.

"…Con..trol…?"

"Tell me, Tetsuya. You are Kuroko Tetsuya; my Tetsuya, _our Tetsuya._ Tell me. Who is the one on the other side of you?"

Kuroko's body jerked hard, thrashing against whatever was holding him down.

"Tell me!" Akashi roared, filling his voice with power strong enough to cause the heavens to roar together as piercingly loud thunders filled the skies.

"…Ha…uo.." Incoherent mumbles were forced through Kuroko's throat.

Kuroko's body thrashed violently one last time before he fainted.

* * *

Kuroko's eyes snapped open as shot up from the bed, quickly surveying his surroundings.

He found himself back in his room.

How did he get back? Wasn't he…

Wait.

Kuroko frowned.

That's not right. What was he thinking about earlier? After dinner, he had gone straight back to his room. So where did the thought of 'how did he get back' come from?

He obviously did not leave his room at all.

Kuroko tilted his head.

Was he too tired from working at the mines that he started hallucinating? Yes, that must be it. Kuroko would have to pay more attention, he could not afford to make such mistakes.

….

But why couldn't he?

 _(Can't…will be…angry…hurt)_

No, it didn't matter. The reason does not matter. Kuroko had no desire to be punished.

Reassured, Kuroko nodded his head firmly.

He should never release his seals, and he should never draw attention.

Yes, that's right.

Kuroko glanced at the clock in his room, then turned around and headed to the tiny bathroom to wash up.

It was almost time for breakfast.


	3. Chapter 3

Kuroko absentmindedly hacked away, the familiar movements of swinging the pickaxe was strangely comforting.

The group of strong demigods weren't here today.

Of course, this elated the human guard and the lesser demigods were all made to work harder than before.

Kuroko's mind felt a little hazy.

He wanted to meet with the odd group again, yet he did not want to meet them as well.

How strange.

A part of him screamed that meeting them would help him.

But why would it help him?

Kuroko was fine, he did not need help.

He was situated a little further away from the rest today, and since the human guard was taking out his anger on them, all the other lesser demigods were busy, unable to pay attention to those around them.

There was only the rhythmic sounds of metal, no one was talking or even making eye contact.

But it was good, that was the way it should be.

Because Kuroko has to be alone.

Kuroko blinked.

…Alone? Why did Kuroko have to be alone?

 _(Alone…or hurt…)_

….Kuroko has to be alone…must…

The sharp sound of a whistle startled Kuroko.

Suddenly, an arm swung around his shoulders.

"Hurry, hurry! Let's grab some water, Kuroko-kun!"

Kuroko turned his head to the side, and stared blankly at the person next to him. Who was he? Did Kuroko know him?

"Kuuuuroko-kun?"

The young man blinked at Kuroko, confused at his reaction.

"…Kusame-san."

"Hm? What's wrong? Is the heat getting to you?"

Kuroko blinked multiple times. Ah, this man was Kusame. Why did Kuroko forget?

"Kusame, Kuroko. Here, water. Hurry and drink. The guard is not going to give us a long break, you know."

Ryuu...this middle aged man was Ryuu.

That's right.

Kuroko thanked Ryuu and hurriedly drank the water. From the corner of his eye, he saw Kusame doing the same.

When the whistle sounded again, Kusame ruffled his hair roughly and then laughed as he ran away from Kuroko's death glare.

Ryuu smiled, lightly patting Kuroko's head.

"Just a while more until dinner time. Hold on a little longer, okay?"

Kuroko smiled gratefully at Ryuu. He nodded.

Kuroko lightly jogged back to his spot.

Kusame and Ryuu, and all the other lesser demigods were important to him.

So he won't forget them. He would not allow himself to.

 _(..must...al..one...)_

Kuroko's eyes flashed with determination. He would not forget again.

* * *

"Aka-chin, do we really have to leave?"

"Yes, we finally managed to receive a hint from Kuroko. So we have to track down every single human or demigod with the hint given to us."

"Demigod, Akashicchi? Is that really necessary?"

"Yes, Kise. I will not overlook anything. Neither will I disregard the possibility of a betrayal among demigods."

"Oh... Alright."

"But what about Kuroko then? Do we leave him behind here?"

"It will be fine, Midorima. Kuroko has managed to survive many years here. But don't worry, I do not plan to stay away for long."

"But Aka-chin, your curse. Kuro-chin still did not remove it. Won't you be in constant pain?"

"No, I'm fine. As long as Kuroko does not give an order for us to meet, then the very first order: 'stay away' will remain in effect."

"In that case, let's hurry with our search. Before Kuroko unknowingly causes you more pain."

"Yes. Come, let us leave."

"Yes!"

* * *

Kuroko was confused.

He laid in his bed, restlessly tossing and turning.

Earlier, when he had heard the news of how the colourful group of strong demigods had left, his heart had squeezed painfully.

An overwhelming feeling of sadness had taken over him for a moment before disappearing without a trace.

Why had he felt sad? He was not close to them, and did not interact with them personally as well. So why?

Kuroko sighed, and buried his face into his pillow.

Was there something wrong with him? Every now and then, he would see flashes of colour; sometimes grey, sometimes red. But he had no idea what they were supposed to mean. Perhaps, has he fallen ill?

Even though he was covered with wounds, but thanks to Ryuu, they were all healing well with no signs of infections. So it was not possible for them to be the cause.

Maybe it was an illness that only humans had? Kuroko knew that humans would fall sick with a cold, but Kuroko was a demigod. A strong demigod. And demigods do not fall ill.

Kuroko frowned.

Have his powers weakened so much that it actually became possible for him to be ill?

His seals…should he remove them all and do a thorough check?

" _But it is still my power. For me to not know that I had such powers is my fault. I was not thorough enough when I had last checked through my powers."_

Kuroko froze, eyes going wide.

What was that? A memory? Why...

Kuroko trembled.

That was his voice, for sure. But who was he talking to?

Check…

When was the last time he had checked through all of his abilities and measured the strength of his powers?

Kuroko has been here ever since he was seven years old. By then, he had already sealed himself. And he was sixteen now. Kuroko did not remember ever releasing his seals during his time here.

No, wait. Something was strange.

How did he seal himself at seven years old?

It's impossible! Even though he may be a demigod child then, but a child is still a child! Something like sealing himself was absolutely impossible. After all, a demigod's full power only surfaced after they reached two hundred years of age. Only then would they be able to achieve something as complicated as sealing.

But Kuroko…he was sixteen.

What if… What if, Kuroko was not sixteen?

While he may have the appearance of a teenage boy, his true age may not be the same!

Then, why? What made him think himself as sixteen?

Why did he never question himself like this before? That's right, something… Something was stopping him from doing so. Then, why did he start now? Could it be, that a trigger was pulled? What exactly happened?

" _Tetsuya…our Tetsuya…tell me. Who…controlling you?"_

Kuroko's vision spun, and he felt himself losing grip on his consciousness.

No! He can't give in to the darkness rushing up to meet him!

He wanted – _needed_ – to remember!

That voice was similar to Akashi's. Was he talking to Akashi?

Akashi…

Akashi would know, he would tell him!

But he's not here, he had left yesterday.

Kuroko wanted to meet with Akashi. He wanted to know what happened. Surely, something that he just could not remember had taken place.

"Akashi…"

Unknowingly, Kuroko whispered Akashi's name.

 _I have to see you._

Kuroko struggled, but eventually lost to the darkness and he fainted.

* * *

"Akashi? What's wrong?"

"…No, it's nothing. Just that, for a very brief moment, the cursed scar had throbbed."

"The scar? Could it be Tetsu?"

"Eh? Did Kurokocchi give an order?!"

"No, I don't think so. It might just be a thought. If it was an order, the pain would not be this mild."

"Then, do we go back?"

"No. Not yet. We have to finish our search with results. I do not want to head back now and end up unprepared."

"…Understood. But you must promise to inform us if Kuroko issues you an order."

"…"

"Akashi, you are too overprotective. Don't bear such heavy burdens on your own. We are here, and we have been together for thousands of years. Are you unable to trust us?"

"No, that's not it. I apologise, Midorima. Thank you, I promise to inform you if anything happens."

"I'm happy Aka-chin trusts us."

"I am glad as well, Akashicchi!"

"Is that so? Then, Kise, please do your job. The target has arrived."

"Uwah. Akashicchi is so mean. But I will still give it my all so that I can help Kurokocchi!"

"…Then, hurry up and go."

"Midorimacchi! You're being mean as well!"

"Just go quickly!"

"Uwaaaah! Don't kick me, Aominecchi!"

* * *

Kuroko coughed, sweat dripping down his face as he panted.

Recently, he had been feeling constantly tired.

His mind would be hazy on good days. However, on bad days, Kuroko lost large parts of his memory. He would remember eating breakfast, and then the next thing he knew, night had already fallen and he was back in his bed.

There was something pressing down on his mind, making it hard for Kuroko to even think. Speaking was difficult too.

Kusame and Ryuu were deeply worried, even the other lesser demigods were. They would offer their precious water to Kuroko, urging him to drink more. And they gave up their food to him as well.

Kuroko felt extremely guilty, he was fine, just that he was spacing out a little. Food and water were all very important for the slaves, they did not have to give them up to Kuroko. So he refused to accept them, telling them to have it for themselves instead.

It was weird. Kuroko would be filled with guilt one moment, and then all those feelings would disappear the next second.

Apparently, Kuroko had been dragged off to the training (torture) room many times. But he did not recall it, though the wounds on his body continued to increase. A brief thought of healing himself was washed away before it could fully form.

He excelled in healing; it would be easy to heal all the wounds on his body. Ryuu must surely be exhausted from using his power every day.

No, he shouldn't heal. To heal his wounds would mean that his seals would be released. He was not allowed to release them.

Kuroko was extremely confused. But all those emotions would disappear quickly.

Kuroko was losing his ability to feel emotions.

Kusame and Ryuu, he remembered that they were important. But why?

Kuroko did not need anyone else, he alone was sufficient. Things like companions were all unnecessary.

It would be fine to cut off everything.

Kuroko…

Kuroko will be fine, alone.

* * *

Akashi frowned, nearly glaring at the shaking man before him.

They did not manage to find the mastermind, but they did acquire a subordinate, who was kneeling at Akashi's feet. The subordinate's mind games were impressive.

After getting caught, he had put up a remarkable fight. After having lost, the subordinate did the most detestable thing, that is; begging Akashi to spare him, said that he would serve Akashi loyally for the rest of his life. Really, who would even believe this man? This man, who readily threw away his previous master just to spare his own life.

But what Akashi could not get out of this man was the identity of the mastermind.

At first, Akashi had tracked down the mastermind, and was even confident about who the mastermind was. But then, another hint suddenly popped up, shaking Akashi's confidence. Because, what if there was not one, but two masterminds?

If they were working together, that must mean that Kuroko was being controlled by two people. Just how much pressure did Kuroko have to bear? Akashi was extremely impressed that Kuroko had kept himself together for so long, but what if Kuroko could no longer protect himself and end up breaking?

"Aka-chin, can't we just kill him? If he's not willing to tell us anything, then isn't it better to kill him quickly and search for another subordinate?"

Akashi sighed.

At least there was one thing that was certain; the ones controlling Kuroko are demigods, not the humans.

"Alright then. Deal with him as you like, Murasakibara. I will start the search for the others."

"Okaaay!"

"See ya, Murasakibaracchi. Make sure you catch up to us quickly!"

* * *

"Kuroko-kun! What's going on?" Kusame was frantic.

"What do you mean, Kusame-san?" Kuroko asked innocently.

"Why are you distancing yourself from others? You barely even respond when someone talks to you!"

"Oh, I…I don't know? Have I really been that rude?"

"Who cares if you're rude! What I'm worried about is how you are turning yourself into a loner. Is there something bothering you?"

"No, there isn't. I'm perfectly fine."

"…Bullshit. Come on, Kuroko-kun. Don't lie to me, okay?"

"I'm not lying, Kusame-san. I am fine. Really."

Kuroko paused, blinking his eyes.

"Ah, but. My mind seems to be a bit hazy. It's nothing, please don't worry."

"Kuroko-kun, are you ill?"

"No, no. I'm not."

Kuroko smiled, turning away from Kusame.

"I am fine. Perfectly…fine."

" _Tell me…Tetsuya. …Tell me!"_

Kuroko stumbled. That voice was so familiar, who did it belong to? What did it want from Kuroko? It told him to 'tell', but what did it want to know?

"Kuroko-kun?"

" _Kuroko Tetsuya, who is controlling you?"_

Kuroko knees buckled and he fell, coughing painfully.

"Kuroko-kun! What's wrong?!"

Kuroko coughed over and over again. There was something lodged in his throat, making it difficult to breathe. He shoved his fingers into his mouth, reaching as far back as possible. Kuroko's body jerked, trembled and shook violently. Almost...just a little more…

A sudden hard slap to his back had him coughing out dark gray fluids.

A large puddle soon spread out all around him, but Kuroko's coughing did not ease.

As more of the strange liquid left his body, Kuroko realised that the haze around his mind was clearing up. One by one, his forgotten memories began to return.

Finally, after dry-heaving a couple more times, Kuroko stopped throwing up.

His body went slack and only then did he notice the horror on Kusame's face.

"You...Kuroko-kun? What…"

Kuroko stared at the mini flood he had made. The hallway to the rooms was completely covered in gray liquid. Ah, really. How did Kuroko even managed to contain that much into his body? Kuroko was rather impressed with himself.

He pushed himself up from the ground, a little unsteady on his feet.

"Kuroko-kun?"

"Sorry, Kusame-san. I have made you and the rest all worry about me. I am fine now." Kuroko wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, cleaning off the remaining traces of the liquid.

"…Are you sure? You know, I don't think that coughing up any kind of strange liquid is considered as being 'fine'. Especially not this horrifying amount!"

Kuroko smiled at Kusame.

"Kusame-san, I will be leaving for a while. I have to go catch up with Akashi-kun and the rest."

"…What?" Kusame blinked dumbly at Kuroko.

"I don't remember everything, but I do know that I am close with that group. And I also know who the people are on the other side of me."

"I can't understand you at all."

"Have you ever heard of a technique called Marionette? It is a dreadful technique used to make someone obey you. I was under the influence of something similar, something that is stronger by a hundredfold. Because I am really strong, just that was not enough, they had to place something physical inside me to control me." Kuroko gestured to the water. "That is what is controlling me. Well, one part of it. I have to find out what else is affecting me."

Kuroko fiddle with his hair. Black hair, huh.

He watched a very confused Kusame looking back and forth between him and the gray water.

"I have to go warn Akashi-kun. If he encounters the enemy while unprepared, it would be terrible. And I am sure that by now, the fool who used that gray water to control me would have realised that I have broken free."

Kuroko frowned.

"I have to go now. I need to hurry. If the other one hears of this, there would surely be trouble for me. Because that person is much harder to deal with, since that one is very cunning and likes to lay traps."

Kuroko glanced at Kusame, and then asked, "Could I trouble you to help me clean up this mess?"

Without waiting for a reply, Kuroko smiled and continued, "Thank you, Kusame-san, for taking care of me all this time. Goodbye."

Kuroko rushed out of the demigod slaves' dorm, leaving behind a flabbergasted Kusame.

Akashi-kun.

Kuroko could not call for him. He did not know Akashi's current situation, and the curse would only impede him if he was caught up in something dangerous.

Kuroko wanted to remove the seals he had placed on his powers, but he was afraid to. What if the traps ahead were for his unsealed self? Kuroko did not know if he would be able to win against that fool. But if he did not release his seals, would he be too weak to fight against whatever that will be in his way?

Kuroko glanced down at his arm. The wounds were barely closed. He was sure some have started bleeding once more.

Akashi-kun…

Kuroko hissed.

Dammit.

Hurry, he had to hurry.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:**

A long chapter this time! Enjoy!

* * *

High up in the skies, there was a completely different atmosphere from the ground where the humans were. Demigods were not like birds, having wings that gave them the ability of flight. However, all demigods were born with the gift of levitation.

But with how majority of the demigod descendants are so weak now, they would never be able to awaken the sacred gift of flight. But the people currently in the skies were not ordinary demigods. They were demigods that had lived for a very long time, the direct descendants of those who survived the war and bore the title as the 'strongest demigods in history'.

Akashi glared at the person before him.

The person was relaxed even when facing Akashi's glare that had sent many to their knees. Akashi really was a fool. Why did he never think of this person being the one behind everything?

Years of being in Kuroko's presence has caused Kuroko's shocking leniency to rub off on Akashi.

"Hey, Akashi Seijuurou. Thanks for coming!" The person laughed mockingly, grey eyes filled with malice.

"Haizaki Shougo." Akashi returned, carefully observing him for any sudden attacks.

"I must say, your interfering has made us very displeased. We were having lots of fun with Kuroko Tetsuya until you came."

"Why did you take him?" Midorima asked; his hands balled into tight fists.

"Well, if you want to blame someone, how about blaming your leader, Akashi Seijuurou?" Haizaki shrugged carelessly. "He kicked me out of the demigod's kingdom."

Haizaki's eyes suddenly flashed with anger.

"I was clearly among the strongest demigods! I earned my reputation, and I was well-known! How dare you replace me with a brat who just barely understood his own powers?" Haizaki glowered at Kise.

"And you had the nerve to say that the reason why I was replaced was because I was 'too violent'! Fools! In such a place where power reigns supreme, it is only obvious that violence is needed to keep those weak idiots in their places! And the humans as well! Humans are disgusting, yet you protect them like some kind of merciful god. Hah! At least you guys got what you deserved. Humans killing hundreds of us demigods to pursue their greed!"

Haizaki laughed loudly.

"That's why I said violence is always necessary! Had the humans feared us, they would not dare to attempt a war! But no, you guys liked masquerading as gentle, kind gods and refused to hurt them! Finally, you got what you deserved, annihilation of the demigods!"

Haizaki stared at each and every one of the demigods gathered in front of him.

"Too bad the humans did not manage to kill you guys. You are all truly strong. Back then, even after the war, my anger has not subsided at all. My revenge will be done by me alone; I do not need the help of humans. So I watched you, and saw how you guys were afraid of the demigod with the strongest healing power ever known."

Haizaki smirked.

"Cute little Kuroko Tetsuya was a contradiction. On one hand, he heals and helps both demigods and humans. And the other, he kills them! Because many other demigods were scared to incur his wrath and end up killed, rarely did any demigod approach him. But you guys disregarded all that, and made him into your comrade. With him on your side, you had nothing to fear."

Haizaki smiled lazily.

"You guys stabilised Kuroko's destructive nature, to the point where he started developing an extremely peaceful personality. It was the perfect thing I needed. I could clearly see how much you guys treasured him, and since I'm not so stupid to believe that I can take all of you on at once, I decided to try something different."

Aomine snarled, moving forward.

"Hold it, Aomine." Midorima grabbed hold of Aomine, stopping him from moving.

"Let go! I will destroy him!"

Haizaki only raised an eyebrow.

"You sure you want to do that? Your Kuroko will not return to you if you kill me." He smirked confidently.

"What?" Midorima gasped.

"You see, because Kuroko was precious to you, so I took him away. He is mighty strong, that I will concede. But because you guys had already done the hard part for me, I no longer had to worry about being killed by him. You guys are amazing indeed! To change him so much that he would not even injure me seriously even though he could be killed by me!"

Haizaki laughed so hard that he hunched over.

"Pity, if he had killed me, you wouldn't have to deal with this now. So after acquiring him, I decided to put Kuroko under the forbidden technique; Marionette's Puppeteer."

"Marionette's Puppeteer? Are you insane? That technique attacks both the caster and the victim!" Midorima's eyes widened with shock.

"Yeah, I know. But it's the only one strong enough to handle that brat's powers. That damn brat was so strong, he fought against it. I'm sure you guys know about it, right? That the forbidden technique becomes nearly invincible once channelled through a physical object. I changed some of my power into the form of water, and shoved it into his body, flooding his mind, and thus creating a thin yet strong barrier.

"His memories were all locked away and I can use my will to make him obey me. For example, sealing and shrinking himself to the form of a little boy. Well, I only needed to threaten him with the safety of those important to him and he becomes amazingly obedient! How very amusing."

Haizaki stretched languidly, taking in the scared faces in front of him. He grinned.

"But still, I had a little help. Because that person loves traps like this, he offered to join me. He placed a little knot of power in every one of you, so that when you approach Kuroko, my hold over him increases. I must thank you, the hold I was never able to achieve, was granted to me on a silver platter. All because of you guys. Oh, and if I were to die, Kuroko would never be released from it."

Akashi's eyes narrowed, and he gritted his teeth.

"So, what are you going to do now?" Haizaki smirked.

"You..." Aomine growled, but was unable to find anything to say, as overcome with anger as he was.

"Release him." Akashi ordered.

Haizaki's eyebrows rose. "No."

"Haizaki Shougo, release him." Akashi repeated, voice calm.

"And I am under no obligation to obey you, Akashi. Besides, you're still cursed, right? You can't threaten me at all. All I have to do is give Kuroko a command, and you will be completely useless."

Haizaki blinked at Akashi, his face a complete picture of mocking sorrow.

"How pitiful you are, Akashi."

"Don't you dare insult him!" Kise snarled, bright yellow circles appearing around him. They look just like miniature suns, and Haizaki could even feel the heat from it though he was quite far away.

But he wasn't scared. As long as Kuroko Tetsuya was under his control, he was not afraid of anything.

He only smirked maliciously at Kise.

"Oh, yes. Kise Ryouta, I have yet to settle my fight with you. You took my place, if I kill you, I suppose it would rightfully return to me!"

Haizaki did not wait, as he was talking, he had already started preparing. Ten rays of gray light exploded from his body the moment he finished speaking, all headed towards Kise.

Akashi was the first to realise something was wrong, but he did not have enough time to warn the others before the attack came.

Kise panicked, quickly shifting his power to form a shield. The rest did the same, bracing for the impact.

Haizaki did not show any reaction, but he was laughing hard on the inside.

Five of the ten gray rays split up, going around to attack from the back. They had only shielded their fronts, so their back was vulnerable. Five attack the front, and the other five came from the back. When they realised that they were also being attacked from the back, Akashi ordered them to put up another shield, but the shields did not have enough time to form completely.

Kise, Midorima and Murasakibara were all hit. They had only managed to successfully block two, though the front shields prevented any more injuries.

Murasakibara was hit only because he had moved to protect Akashi, who was absolutely outraged at Murasakibara's actions. Akashi was not known as the leader of the strongest demigods for nothing, he could protect himself from an attack like this, but Murasakibara got in the way.

"Murasakibara! Just what did you think you are doing?" Akashi hissed.

Muraskaibara was clutching onto a gaping hole in his arm, blood spilling like a fountain down to the ground. To the humans, it would look like it was raining blood.

"Protecting you, Aka-chin." Murasakibara's face was twisted with pain, but his voice was strong.

"You should have protected yourself! My shield takes the shortest time to form, I would have been fine! But you just had to stand in the way of the attack without even using a shield!"

"Hey, hey. Can you afford to fight among yourselves now?" Haizaki frowned.

Their heads snapped up, and stared at the countless rays of gray light all positioned above them. Immediately, they formed a large 360 degrees shield. The rays were fired before their shield finished forming, but they still held strong even as they sustained wounds.

Suddenly, the attacks stopped, and the rays all started fading away.

Akashi turned, staring at Haizaki suspiciously.

Haizaki was writhing in agony, hands gripping his head. Groans of pain had everyone frowning in confusion. Haizaki's body thrashed around violently, just like a mad dancing puppet. And then he _screamed._ His voice was filled with so much agony that everyone else flinched.

His hands suddenly fell away from his head, and he slouched over, staring listlessly at nothing with laboured breathing, panting hard and covered with a light sheen of sweat.

"…What's wrong with him?" Aomine grunted, eyes never leaving Haizaki.

"No, no, no, no. Stop!" Haizaki shouted, eyes wide with panic. "Stop, you damn brat! Stop it!"

"…Hey, Aka-chin, has he gone crazy?" Murasakibara blinked at Haizaki.

Akashi's cursed scar throbbed endlessly, escalating to a burning sensation.

"It's Kuroko," he answered.

"Kuro-chin? What is Kuro-chin doing?"

Haizaki raised his head, and glared at all of them. His eyes focused on Akashi, and he snarled, "You, it's all because of you! That damn brat, how dare he!"

Haizaki started muttering to himself, ignoring his rather confused audience.

"Uh, Akashicchi? Shall we kill him now?" Kise asked.

"No, I am unsure of what exactly Kuroko is doing, I don't want to risk it." Akashi frowned.

Abruptly, Haizaki turned around, and pulled out a little black spider. He threw it into the air, causing it to explode, creating a portal.

"Must hurry, he should be able to fix this." Haizaki muttered. A nearly crazed smile appeared on his face. "Yes, yes. That's right, he will handle that brat. Right, that brat won't be free for very long. He had better enjoy his freedom after breaking free of my control."

Haizaki cackled, eyes unfocused, limbs jerking uncontrollably as he stepped into the portal.

As one, Akashi and the rest all dive in to the portal after Haizaki.

If what Haizaki said was true, then it meant that Kuroko had broken free of Haizaki's control, so it was a perfect opportunity to kill Haizaki, and locate the other mastermind.

As Akashi entered the portal, he stopped using his power to hide the cursed scar. He needed to conserve all his power for the fight.

And he also knew that Kuroko would join them soon.

* * *

Kuroko stopped, eyes studying his surroundings.

There was nothing much to look at high up in the sky, other than a bunch of clouds and the burning sun. But there was the scent of blood; there had been a battle here.

Could it be that it was Akashi and the rest?

So far, Kuroko did not meet any obstructions while on his way here. That means that neither of the two fools had taken any precautions should Kuroko break free. Or perhaps, they were too confident?

Glancing down at his blood soaked shirt, Kuroko decided he should finally release his seals. Halfway should be alright, if he released all of them at once, it would be like signaling a bright red alarm of danger to all his enemies.

Kuroko closed his eyes, focusing on the thick, sturdy chains wrapped around his power.

Slowly, Kuroko reached out with his mind to a chain, watching emotionlessly as it started rusting and straining. With a burst of mental strength, the chain snapped. Kuroko repeated this process over and over again.

Kuroko's hair began changing back to blue.

Kuroko breathed out lightly, but did not open his eyes. He covered his body with pale gold light, healing all his wounds. At the same time, he removed the blood on his shirt.

Kuroko's eyes opened. The blue of his eyes was so bright, so mesmerising. The beautiful blue of the skies around him could not even match that of his eyes.

Kuroko smiled a little. He had removed a few more seals than he had intended at first, but he didn't quite care. He was happy; finally, finally, his body was filled with power once more.

He could easily pinpoint where Akashi was, due to the curse on him.

Kuroko started moving again, heading in the direction where Akashi was.

"Please be safe, Akashi-kun."

* * *

Akashi staggered, but refused to fall.

The ground around him was scattered with injured bodies, and one dead body. Haizaki's dead body lay crumpled to the side, waiting for Kuroko to do the honours of ripping him apart.

Kise and Midorima grunted softly as they stood back up, covered with wounds. They glowered at the dark figure before them.

Hanamiya Makoto.

The way Hanamiya fought was extremely annoying. Petty little tricks that had only caused minor wounds were nothing at first, but as more and more wounds appeared, they realised that perhaps this fight may not be that simple. Kuroko was not here, there was no way for them to heal their own wounds.

They would have to fight carefully, avoiding even the smallest dirty trick because they could not afford to disregard any attack from Hanamiya. Aomine was a perfect example. He had always been rash and liked confronting others head-on, thus he now lay incapacitated on the ground, with a dislocated right arm and a broken left ankle.

Murasakibara was tasked with protecting him, moving him out of harm's way. Murasakibara actually multitasked quite well, using the openings to attack Hanamiya while he was busy with the other three. And at the same time, defending against the Otrok and stray attacks from Hanamiya.

They had tracked Haizaki to the human palace all the way in the western continent, where he had formed alliances with the humans there. Many Otroks were apparently all hidden in the palace, and now they obeyed Hanamiya's orders and fought for him in the front lines.

The entire throne room was filled with Otroks, surrounding the group of strong demigods.

This amount of Otrok should not have been possible, because they were all destroyed long ago. But seeing as how Hanamiya was there, it was only natural the Otrok would increase. Because, the one who suggested making such things for the humans way back then, was none other than Hanamiya.

Hanamiya was actually favoured among the demigods, though he infuriated others a lot, but his intelligence was acknowledged. He was unexpectedly really smart.

He gained the trust of the other demigods, collecting and storing their power to be used in creating the Otrok. Akashi narrowed his eyes at the countless number there was. It seems that Hanamiya had stored more than enough power from the other demigods, hiding it away. These Otrok designs were different from the old ones, clearly more superior and only recently created.

Even though they were all strong demigods, but surrounded by Otroks who were of nearly equal strength to them, this fight was quite taxing. It was like fighting against themselves; power, speed and defensive capabilities were all mirror images of their own strength.

The more they fought with the Otrok, the more power they used. And Hanamiya remained at the back, protected by them, with only a couple of scratches on him. This was really not going well, by the time they reached Hanamiya, they would already be exhausted.

Fighting against someone like Hanamiya in an exhausted state would only be a death sentence. His intelligence and underhanded tricks were all something that needed one to constantly remain alert.

Hanamiya chuckled.

"To think that I would get to watch you guys, who are known as the strongest demigods in history, struggle like this. It brings me great joy to see your pain. Perhaps it would be better if I had Kuroko Tetsuya join us?"

"Don't touch Kurokocchi!" Kise snarled, disintegrating an Otrok.

"I won't," Hanamiya smirked, "I can't do anything to him now that Haizaki is dead and can no longer control him. I was just thinking of having him come here. If he's here, he could help you guys, right?"

Akashi's eyes widened.

No, no. Kuroko absolutely could not be here! He had to stop Kuroko from coming somehow! There was no way Hanamiya would suggest Kuroko coming to help them so lightly, he must have something planned.

The cursed scar on his face throbbed. Though Akashi was unsure if this would help contact Kuroko, it was worth a try. Akashi lightly moved to stand behind Midorima, who gave him a small nod disguised as a furious growl as he defended against an Otrok.

Keeping his back to Hanamiya, Akashi closed his eyes, trusting Midorima to protect him for the moment.

Kuroko…

Please let his will reach Kuroko.

* * *

Kuroko tripped, falling face first into a cloud.

He coughed, frowning as he sat up. He was now completely soaked. Watching as water steadily dripped from his hair, Kuroko was rather grateful he knew levitation. Because of that ability, he managed to save himself from falling straight through the cloud and face-planting the ground.

But just how did he trip in _mid-air?_

He stared at the hole in the cloud, and then shrugged. Making sure to keep a little distance from the cloud, Kuroko started pondering.

What was that?

His body suddenly stopped moving on its own. Kuroko stared down at himself blankly. Was there something wrong with him?

Blurred images flashed in his mind, but Kuroko was unable to identify them. A voice suddenly appeared in his mind. Kuroko blinked.

No, it was not exactly a voice, but rather, words.

Kuroko found himself reading them out.

"Stop, don't, danger."

Kuroko hummed, trying to make sense of those words.

Don't…

Kuroko tilted his head.

Don't? Don't what?

A pair of red eyes abruptly appearing in his mind had Kuroko flinching in shock. Those eyes, they were eyes that Kuroko knew very well.

Akashi.

What if Akashi was the one who stopped him?

Kuroko concentrated hard, feeling for the connection between him and Akashi, caused by his curse.

Sweat ran down his back from the effort, but he refused to let go of it.

Kuroko suddenly cried out, rearing back from the connection. He cuddled his head, groaning in pain. His ears were ringing from the loud scream. It was as though Akashi himself was here, screaming into Kuroko's ears.

 _Don't come here!_

Kuroko huffed.

So it was Akashi after all. He wanted Kuroko to stay away.

"Really, Akashi-kun. You can be rather foolish, huh." Kuroko sighed. He stared at the skies in front of him.

Kuroko chuckled.

"Did you really think that I would leave you alone when you are in trouble? Even if I have to draw power from my destructive side that I have forsaken, I will do so to protect you and everyone important to me, Akashi-kun."

Kuroko stood up, lightly dusting himself off.

"Well then, I had better hurry."

* * *

"Akashi? Did you manage to contact Kuroko?" Midorima murmured softly.

"I did. But I do not know if he will listen." Akashi replied.

"I see. Then, we can only wait and see."

Akashi glanced at Aomine. He had actually managed to slice apart an Otrok that slipped through Murasakibara's defense even though he was heavily injured.

If he continued to disregard his wounds and make them worse, Kuroko would surely sit him down for a three hour lecture after healing him. Akashi's lips quirked into a slight smile. That would actually be quite fun to watch.

Akashi turned, attacking the Otroks with renewed vigor.

* * *

Kuroko blinked at the scene before him.

The human palace Akashi's connection brought him to was in complete ruins. More than half the building was gone, and it lacked a roof.

Kuroko easily spotted Akashi and the rest, fighting desperately. They looked to be quite tired. And Aomine was obviously severely injured. Kuroko eyes travelled past them, and locked on to the person watching the fight with boredom.

Hanamiya Makoto.

He did not seem to notice Kuroko's presence. That was strange, Hanamiya was never this inattentive. Kuroko looked around again, and saw a crumpled body to the side. He blinked twice. Haizaki?

Ah, Akashi must have left the body intact for him.

Kuroko did not believe that Hanamiya actually did not know that he was currently floating above them. Deciding that attacking Hanamiya would perhaps trigger traps that would endanger those fighting below, Kuroko went for Haizaki instead.

Drawing power from his destructive side was something Kuroko did not like. If he was not careful, he would be consumed by the power's thirst for blood. But a little was fine, Kuroko needed it after all. Only a handful of people could counter against this power, even Kazunari Takao (the only one Midorima allowed to be close to him, other than Akashi and the rest) could not.

It was unfortunate but Kazunari did not survive the war back then. But when he was still alive, Kazunari's deadly perceptive ability was truly frightening. As long as he put his mind to it, he could even find Kuroko faster than Akashi could. But even so, he was not able to win against Kuroko's power.

The abilities of demigods would always take on a form; Kise's little burning suns, Midorima's arrows that would always hit their mark no matter the distance, and Aomine's missile flames that would not disappear until they had made contact with the target. And many more.

Kuroko was a person, with a physical form. That was why it was possible for Kazunari to find him. But Kuroko's power was different. His power was formless, colourless, and gave no warning before it hit, much unlike the abilities of the other demigods.

Even Akashi was hit countless times during their mock fights. Akashi's ability to discern the opponents' moves before they attempted to carry it out was what made many fear him. But Kuroko was comparable to a block of wood. There was absolutely nothing to give him away, thus turning Akashi's ability useless against him.

The only one who could block every single attack from Kuroko was his mother.

* * *

Kuroko received his destructive nature from his mother, and as the one who obviously had much more experience using this power, she easily avoided all of Kuroko's attacks and actually caused him to knock on Death's door many times, only to be pulled away by his father's healing abilities.

Kuroko's parents were the most unlikely pair that the other demigods thought would end up together. Kuroko's mother was brash, violent, and craved for death matches like a starving beast. Kuroko's father was soft, gentle and (before Kuroko's birth) was known as the strongest and only healer among demigods.

A person who loved fighting and blood, and a person who would avoid conflict whenever possible, surely they were complete opposites. But somehow, they ended up together. Then again, perhaps it was a best course of action. Should Kuroko's mother go too far, Kuroko's father was there to heal the poor soul who chose to fight with his wife.

When Kuroko was born, his mother actually became really, really mild. She rarely fought anymore (unless Kuroko was begging to fight her because he wanted to become stronger) and worked hard at raising Kuroko well. When they noticed that Kuroko had both abilities from his parents – since demigods would usually only receive power from one parent – they had panicked. Through never-ending research and training, they tried hard to suppress the violent side of their son.

And eventually, they were successful.

But the most important presence in keeping Kuroko calm disappeared during the war. Both of his parents had died in the war with the humans.

Distraught and in unimaginable emotional pain, Kuroko gave in the side of him that whispered the sweetest temptations into his ears: the voice said that it would alright, that _he_ would take away all the pain, that Kuroko no longer had to be a good boy. It was fine to kill; there was no need to hold back. Killing takes away pain, and only gave joy in return.

Kuroko was willing to do anything to ease the suffocating pain that crippled him.

So he killed. And he had fun.

His healing abilities only made it more enjoyable. He could attack his victim till they were just an inch away from dying, and then heal the person. Like this, repeating this process over and over again, he could play with his victims as long as he wanted.

Kuroko did not know how long he had lived like this, demigods of old were almost immortal after all. The only way to kill them was to gouge out their heart. Even if their bodies were ripped apart, or if their heads were chopped off, as long as their heart was intact, they would regenerate endlessly.

However, one day, Kuroko's fun was interrupted by none other than Akashi Seijuurou.

Akashi had came to him, asking to fight him for a round or two each day.

It was rare that someone would actually dare to approach him, so Kuroko easily agreed.

The first time they fought, he was shocked when Akashi came out of his attacks unscathed. Kuroko was impressed, but it wasn't enough to motivate him, so he continued to fight carelessly, with no regard for his opponent's growing annoyance at the way he was unenthusiastically handling the fight.

Kuroko had assumed that once Akashi had enough, he would leave and then Kuroko would be free to play around as he wished without having to deal with Akashi. But Akashi was frustratingly persistent.

Annoyed, Kuroko started fighting a little more seriously. And when he did, Kuroko was finally able to wound Akashi. Upon seeing that, Kuroko smirked, thinking that since Akashi had been injured, surely his pride would have been hurt and he would leave. But not only did Akashi not leave, he even smiled mysteriously at Kuroko.

And then he started harassing Kuroko even more than before.

Kuroko was dumbfounded, he couldn't believe that Akashi could actually be this persistent, exactly like a leech! Kuroko had started avoiding him then, but Akashi had sought out the help of Kazunari Takao, making it difficult to hide. With his irritation boiling over, Kuroko stopped running away, and faced Akashi for the first time as a worthy opponent.

The Kuroko back then hated to fight in such a manner, because then it would remind him of his mother, of her strict teachings on how to fight properly and cautiously, and how to assess his opponents.

The moment he recalled those things, suffocating pain accompanied each treasured memory.

He hated it.

He couldn't deal with it.

He wasn't strong enough alone.

But if he did not draw on his knowledge, and if he does not defeat Akashi so badly that he would never return to find him again, Kuroko would surely never have peace for the rest of his life.

He needed Akashi gone.

Akashi was drawing out the pain and memories he was struggling to run away from.

And so, Akashi needed to disappear.

Setting a date for himself, this time, Kuroko went to look for Akashi, and truly assessed him and his power. Their fight wrecked the demigod's kingdom, injuring many and even killing some in the process. Kuroko showed no mercy, and once he had gained an upper hand, he relentlessly attacked Akashi until he was collapsed on the ground.

But he didn't stop there.

He had to make sure he would never be disturbed again.

He had to kill Akashi.

Now that Akashi was unable to move, unable to defend, his only option was to die at Kuroko's hands.

But just before he dealt the finishing blow, Kuroko's attack was blocked by a massive surge of power, and he was forced back, away from Akashi.

When he managed to regain himself, he found four very colourful demigods glaring at him. Kuroko knew who they were, how could he not? They were the only remaining ones who had inherited exceptionally strong powers that did not die in the war with the humans.

Akashi's limp body was carefully carried in the arms of the tallest person in the group, Murasakibara Atsushi. The four of them stood before Kuroko, forming a protective barrier around Akashi.

Kuroko cocked his head.

The attack before was not aimed to injure him, or rather, the main function of it wasn't to hurt him, but to repel him away and distract him. Kuroko silently contemplated the situation playing out in front of him. In order to get to Akashi, he would have to go through all four of them first.

Kuroko's eyes narrowed.

While it wasn't impossible, it was going to be extremely annoying.

Now that Akashi was so severely injured, Kuroko would at least have some peace. His bloodlust has deemed and he didn't feel like killing Akashi anymore. With a last glance at Akashi, Kuroko smirked before turning around and leaving.

The four demigods did not stop him, but warily watched his every move until he was a good distance away. Only then did they rush Akashi off somewhere, presumably to tend to his wounds.

But since Kuroko's father was not here anymore, there was no one to heal him.

Akashi could only rely on medicines and his own body's healing.

Just like a human.

The thought of that somehow delighted Kuroko, and he remained in a good mood for the next few months.

After some time, Akashi appeared again, seeking out Kuroko.

And he even seemed completely unaffected by his utter defeat. And not only that, but he actually brought along the other four demigods.

Kuroko was stupefied.

As though a spell was cast on him, before Kuroko realised it, he had already somehow or another resumed his daily fights with Akashi. But this time, it was not only Akashi who fought with him. The other four demigods took turns to have a go with him, as though Kuroko was some kind of fascinating attraction.

It was strange.

The more they came to disturb him, the more Kuroko's previous frustration at them slowly disappeared. Instead, in small but steady amounts, warmth slowly filled his heart. Though he struggled, it was fruitless. The five of them took root in his heart, and refused to let go.

And then, finally, Kuroko found himself breaking.

He could no longer turn his eyes away, could not run away to his violent side anymore. When he fell, Akashi and the others were there to catch him. They stayed by him, supported him as he struggled to cope with the pain he ran away from. It didn't matter how long he took, they never once complained, and instead, they carefully held him up and provided him with endless strength.

They became the pillars of Kuroko's mind. They were there to support him, and at the same time, carefully keeping him in check.

 _If they were to disappear…_

* * *

Bright blue eyes blinked once, focusing on Haizaki's dead body.

Concentrating his power to his feet, Kuroko moved.

He jumped from where he was in the sky, landing accurately on Haizaki's chest.

Immediately, Haizaki's body exploded from the impact, limbs flying everywhere until there was nothing but a pool of blood and white matter beneath Kuroko's feet. The ground trembled and broke, large deep cracks ran across the floor in all directions, sending tons of Otrok into the deep valleys created by Kuroko.

The aftershocks of Kuroko's actions continued to shake the earth, causing the pillars of the palace, the massive trees surrounding them and anything that was connected to the ground to tremble violently.

Kuroko watched on emotionlessly as the already ruined building was destroyed even more.

… _If they were to disappear, Kuroko would break once more and never again will he be able to recover._

He turned around.

And faced the smiling Hanamiya Makoto.

* * *

"Tetsu?!"

"Kurokocchi!"

"So it seems that Kuroko did not listen to your warnings." Midorima sighed.

Akashi only shook his head; he did have a vague feeling of Kuroko laughing at him when he had connected to him briefly, so a part of him was expecting this to happen.

Before Akashi could call out to him, the ground rumbled and a few Otrok started crawling out of where they had fallen into the deep cracks.

Kuroko obviously noticed, and was clearly annoyed, which could be seen from the deep crease between his eyebrows. Seeing such a bold display of emotions on his usual poker face, it was enough to make the surrounding people flinch.

He ignored Hanamiya, and took three calculated steps towards the Otrok.

Kuroko stopped, and seemed to be waiting.

Akashi blinked, momentarily confused, before his eyes widened. Uh-oh.

"Retreat!" He ordered, already speeding straight for the sky.

Murasakibara flung Aomine over his shoulder and took off to the sky, quickly followed by Kise and Midorima.

In rapid succession, explosion after explosion burst out from the ground, like miniature volcanoes erupting. Ashes rained down on Kise and Murasakibara (and Aomine). They did not fly high enough, and thus turned into large bundles of snowmen made up of ashes.

Akashi was wise indeed, he knew just how much power Kuroko had, and chose to fly as high as possible. Midorima had blindly followed after him.

Midorima stared at the scene before him, eyes wide with shock.

"…Akashi? What did Kuroko just do?"

Akashi smiled, though it contained a very slight trace of unease.

"He destroyed all the Otroks, every single one of them. Back then, when Hanamiya suggested making such things for the humans, Kuroko's parents did not abide by the rules and instead, they did not provide even the smallest ounce of power. That's why there are no Otrok capable of healing."

"How is that possible? He destroyed them so easily!" Midorima stared at Akashi incredulously.

"It is possible because those Otrok are nothing but little nuisances to him. Have you forgotten how powerful Kuroko actually is? As Hanamiya was unable to receive and analyse the power Kuroko holds, thus those Otrok are nowhere near Kuroko's actual strength. I'm sure you remember Kuroko's mother love for fights, do you not? There has never been a demigod who is able to hold their own against his mother for more than thirty seconds. And that fearsome power has been passed on to Kuroko."

Akashi watch Kise attempt to dust the ashes off of Murasakibara, but it was useless because the ashes still had not stopped falling. Even if he could not hear what Aomine was saying, the disgruntled tone was clear enough.

"Our parents willingly gave their power to aid the creation of the Otrok, and because we inherit their powers, the Otrok are our worse enemies. Kuroko's parents were the exception, by refusing to give part of their power, they became outcasts but at the same time, they are the only ones who did not have to fear the Otrok."

Akashi hummed.

"Actually, it is a good thing. Can you imagine fighting against an Otrok with such terrifying strength?"

Midorima shuddered, and said, "If such a thing were to be created, the entire demigod race would be wiped out in minutes."

Falling silent for a moment, he then softly exhaled, and nodded his head in approval.

"Kuroko's parents were very wise."

Akashi smiled.

* * *

Kuroko blinked at the two annoyed glares coming from the snowmen in the air.

Something shifted, and then another pair of eyes glared at him.

Ah, they did not manage to get away in time?

Kuroko laughed a little.

And the annoyed glares increased in intensity.

Kuroko smiled as he dispersed the ashes covering them. He approached them, softly chanting a short incantation to heal their wounds. Aomine looked a little ill as his wounds healed. The sensation of new bones forming to replace the old ones or flesh growing over bones was really not pleasant, that Kuroko knew very well.

Feeling someone's gaze on him, Kuroko tilted his head up. It was obviously not Hanamiya watching him, Kuroko was very, _very,_ aware of Hanamiya. There was no way he would turn his back to that man without any sort of defense. Hanamiya clearly knew that too, for he did not even move from where he was, and only continued to watch Kuroko as he interacted with the rest.

Kuroko's eyes met a pair of red ones.

Kuroko quickly made his way over to Akashi, he stopped before Midorima, took in his current state and then healed both Akashi and Midorima together. Once done, he turned away from Midorima and enveloped Akashi in a sudden tight hug. Akashi was surprised, if the stiffening of his body was any indication.

Kuroko did not care, he held on tight to Akashi and started the long incantation to remove the curse. Removing a curse was much more difficult than placing one. Akashi's stiff body immediately went lax and Kuroko caught him, never faltering in his incantation.

Akashi must surely be in great pain, but Kuroko was unable to help him with that. If it was anything else, Kuroko would do whatever it takes to take away Akashi's pain, but removing a curse required his utmost concentration.

Kuroko had learnt of curses from his mother, a technique she had taught the young Kuroko as a way of defending himself. When he was young, Kuroko's power was unstable. There were times where he was ridiculously strong, destroying everything he so much as touched, and there were also times where he was unable to use his powers at all.

And so, after some deliberation, Kuroko's mother taught him about curses. These curses were special, and did not require much power to drive away anyone who wanted to separate him from his parents. It was very useful.

But Kuroko's mother had forgotten about the most crucial thing, she had only taught him how to lay curses, and never once mentioned anything about removing them.

Since he wasn't taught, Kuroko had to study up on removing curses on his own, often using up a great deal of his power just to remove the experimental curses he would place on a subject every now and then.

His efforts over the years had borne fruit, and Kuroko finally became confident enough about his ability. But because removing curses caused him to be weak and powerless for an average of twenty minutes, Kuroko hardly ever used his curses.

With a tired sigh, Kuroko could now feel the curse on Akashi disappearing.

"Kuroko, are you alright?" Midorima's concerned face loomed over him, startling Kuroko.

Kuroko smiled, and nodded.

He handed Akashi to Midorima, who was regaining consciousness after having passed out halfway through.

"Akashi-kun?"

Akashi's eyes blinked open, and he seemed a little disorientated.

"…Your ability to curse someone is truly troublesome." That was the first thing Akashi said.

Kuroko chuckled, giving Akashi a tired smile.

"Can I leave everything to you now that you are free?" He asked.

Akashi stared at Kuroko blankly.

"Is there something wrong, Kuroko?"

Kuroko shook his head.

Akashi frowned. Now that he was no longer suppressed by Kuroko's curse, his eye began to lighten and gold replaced red.

"Tetsuya, what's wrong?"

Kuroko shook his head again.

"I am fine, just a little tired." As Kuroko said this, he gestured with his eyes to the side, hoping Akashi could understand his hint.

Kuroko let out a breath of relief when he saw Akashi's eyebrow twitched. There was no way Kuroko was going to expose his current powerless state to Hanamiya.

Akashi stared at Kuroko.

During the time he had spent with Kuroko, Akashi had never seen Kuroko curse anyone before. And of course, Akashi had never been cursed by Kuroko, but he knew that there was something off about the current Kuroko. Did removing a curse have some kind of effect on Kuroko?

Akashi made a show of nodding his head and said, "I understand. Stay back and I will settle this."

Kuroko softly hummed his agreement.


	5. Chapter 5

Kuroko stayed back as Akashi led the group down to the ground.

He did not stay too far away from them, so that he could listen to the conversation between Akashi and Hanamiya.

"I see that the curse on you is gone." Hanamiya commented lightly.

Akashi did not reply, only staring down Hanamiya.

"Ooh, scary indeed. Of course, a leader of the strongest group of demigods must be impressive." Hanamiya nodded, not reacting to the painful, crippling aura coming from Akashi. "And what about him? Not joining?"

Hanamiya gestured towards Kuroko.

"I am sufficient." Akashi said.

Hanamiya looked away from Akashi, and stared straight at Kuroko. And Kuroko was happy enough to send a glare towards Hanamiya.

A slight raise to Hanamiya's eyebrow had everyone tensing.

"Hm," Hanamiya hummed softly.

The sound he made was not one of acceptance to Akashi's challenge, but rather, one that told of secrets. Secrets that have been exposed completely.

A jolt of alarm ran through everyone.

But Hanamiya did not do anything else, and turned back to face Akashi.

"Alright then. Do you know, Akashi Seijuurou, I have always wanted to see you kneel at the feet of others. Excluding the one up there, you were the next strongest of all the demigods." Hanamiya smirked, his eyes taking on a manic light. "This time, give me a good fight, yeah?"

Kuroko frowned as Hanamiya began to attack Akashi.

Hanamiya was alone, while Akashi had Midorima, Aomine, Kise and Murasakibara all aiding in the fight.

In a five versus one match, the winner was obvious.

But yet, what was with the scene right now?

Why did Hanamiya not fall, in fact, he was even holding his own against his opponents without much trouble. Could it be because everyone else were already fighting earlier? Were they tired? But, Kuroko's healing abilities should have gone deeper, beyond healing physical wounds. Their stamina should have been replenished as though they have just entered the fight.

So how was it possible that Hanamiya was not losing?

Kuroko's eyes widened with horror as Kise was thrown back, slamming against the wall. The skin of his stomach had been blown apart by a black spider. The black spider was the form of Hanamiya's power; it could move and slip into clothes undetected, and then when it unleashed its attack, the victim would be completely vulnerable.

No, Kise-kun!

Kuroko's mind screamed at him to quickly tend to Kise's wounds.

But…

Kuroko could not. The consequence for removing a deadly curse was still in effect. Kuroko was absolutely powerless right now, worse than a baby demigod!

Kise glanced up at Kuroko.

"Kurokocchi?" Kise murmured softly, confused.

Kuroko could not hear what Kise said, but he could read Kise's lips and he knew that Kise had called for him. Kise was confused about why Kuroko did not immediately heal him.

Kuroko flinched.

"Oh? What's this? Interesting, interesting!" Hanamiya laughed loudly and Kuroko barely dodge the dozen black spiders thrown at him.

"What's wrong with Tetsu?" Aomine hissed lowly to Akashi who was frowning at Kuroko.

It couldn't be…

Was this the reason why Kuroko did not want to fight?

Akashi caught Kuroko's gaze, and he did not let Kuroko look away.

Guilt, pain, helplessness… Was that hatred that Akashi saw in Kuroko's eyes as well?

Hatred for his own lack of power?

Akashi growled, and began to attack Hanamiya fiercely. He would not allow Hanamiya to take advantage of Kuroko's current state!

Hanamiya's attention was no longer on Kuroko, he could not divide his attention when a furious prey was attacking him.

Hanamiya smiled.

He exchanged blows with Akashi, cackling gleefully.

They were a lot more careful now, because there was no one to heal their wounds or to provide endless stamina recovery. Hanamiya could not help but laugh.

Akashi snarled at him.

"Do you want to kill me?" Hanamiya asked, looking to be rather relaxed.

"I will kill you, that is absolute." Akashi returned.

"That's too bad. See, I don't have any plans to die so early. Honestly though, I didn't think I would have to bring them out but you are quite a troublesome pest." Hanamiya huffed. Hanamiya raised his left hand, and snapped his fingers.

The ground suddenly trembled hard, and sounds of explosion from the distance rapidly came nearer and nearer.

"Why don't you try fighting them?" Hanamiya chuckled.

Otroks twice the usual size appeared from all sides. They quickly closed in on Akashi and the rest.

"These are special. I have been doing many experiments, during my time in the human world. After many, many failures and endless amount of effort, I successfully managed to create these few Otroks that are not only of superior strength, but they are also similar in power to that little boy high up in the sky."

" _What?"_ Aomine roared.

"To create them, I just piled power over power, again and again, as much as I can without them exploding on me. Because that boy is strong, I wanted to create something that could give him some trouble, keep him busy for a bit. It took quite some time, but they turned out fine. Isn't it amazing?" Hanamiya laughed.

"Now then, shall we see how long you guys can last against them?"

And then he clapped his hands twice, a signal for the Otrok to begin attacking.

* * *

Kuroko cried out in distress as he watched them begin the fight against the modified Otrok.

"Heeey! Over here, over here!"

Kuroko raised his head, glaring at Hanamiya who was floating in front of him.

"Don't glare at me like that. It makes me want to break you." Hanamiya snarled.

"How dare you, using such things to fight. Do you have no shame?"

"Shame? Who needs that? I only need power. With power, you can do anything you want, right? Stop acting like a good boy, I know about you. You have killed many with that vast power of yours, what right do you have to say anything to me?"

"I have killed many, yes. But those were fair fights!"

"What rubbish are you sprouting? You picked on the demigods who were obviously weaker than you. How is that fair? You, you are just like me."

Kuroko's hands curled into fists.

"Hm? A physical fight? Can't use your powers so that's the next best thing? Hahaha! You really are hilarious!"

"Shut up." Kuroko glowered at Hanamiya.

"Why don't you think this through? Even if you kill me, do you really think all this will end? Demigods will still be tied to the humans as slaves. To change the current world, we need to reset it!" Hanamiya's eyes widened with greed.

"You…Was this your goal all along?" Kuroko stared at Hanamiya, shocked.

"Of course! That is why you are needed, Kuroko Tetsuya. You are the Key. Using you, I will create a new world!"

"Do you really know what you are talking about, you fool? You want to use the Key, are you crazy? Even you will be affected!""

" _Hah?_ Of course. That is what I want. Within you lies the Key; the power created by the gods with the ability to erase this world!"

* * *

 **Key.**

The Key is not an actual key, but rather, a gem filled with power. This gem is what kept the existence of the Demigod's Kingdom, high up in the skies, hidden from the humans. It glows so bright that just a momentary glance can blind a demigod. And this gem had one special ability.

To Reset.

Depending on how it is used, the form of 'reset' can be changed. The known ability of the Reset was to erase every single trace of demigod from the world. The history in the human's books will be changed, their memories would be replaced. But it was not only the humans, the demigods too, will be affected. They, just like the humans, would be stripped of everything.

With no knowledge and power, there will no longer be any difference between the demigods and humans.

But such dreadful power could not be used by anyone.

There are three conditions in attaining the Key.

 **1\. Strength**

The user has to be strong, with powers that no one else could match up to. How that power is obtained does not matter. Hanamiya's power came from the creation of all the Otroks, and with every one created, his power grew. As for Kuroko, his powers were natural, inherited.

Both Kuroko and Hanamiya had passed the first test.

 **2\. Greed**

The user must have an unstoppable greed for power, more and more. Only then can their bodies change and accept the Key into themselves. But to obtain this 'greed' criteria, the user first has to betray. Let the greed for power drive the user to things that would cause discord.

Kill your brethren, forsake your own blood.

Kuroko had killed other demigods while he was running away from the grief of losing his parents, and Hanamiya had killed countless demigods during the war. Their reasons may differ, but the enjoyment of killing was the same.

And they both passed the second test.

 **3\. Life**

The Key is nothing more than a tool of destruction for the user. The world will change according to the will of the user, but at the cost of the user's life. Kuroko had things important things to him in this current world, things that he would not – _could not_ – give up. And Hanamiya had fallen too deep into greed, he would not give up his life for a world that he would not be in.

Neither Kuroko nor Hanamiya passed the last test.

* * *

"Hanamiya, you know that you will not be able to use the Key." Kuroko frowned.

"Yes, I know. That's why I found a way around it." Hanamiya smirked.

"What?"

"I will use you. I will use your life to fulfill the last condition."

Hanamiya shot forward, grabbing hold of Kuroko's shirt.

"How perfect it is. You are completely powerless now, can't even defend yourself. How pathetic. This must be fate, you were meant to be my sacrifice. After all, you had stolen the Key from me!" Hanamiya snarled, eyes alight with madness.

"The Key is not yours."

"It is! _It is mine._ How dare you take it from me!"

Kuroko wrapped his fingers around Hanamiya's hands, trying hard to pry him off.

"Because of you, I spent many years finding a way to work around the last condition. Yes, I must thank you. If you had not forcibly hidden the Key into your body at that time, I would have hesitated about using the Key and not thought about the way to fill in the third condition."

Hanamiya laughed, loud and hard.

"If you want to blame someone for this turn of events, then you should just blame yourself! If you had not done what you did, would things have reached this stage? You understand, don't you? It's all your own fault."

Hanamiya raised his hand, a large black spider sitting on his palm.

"Well then, Kuroko Tetsuya, goodbye."

As Kuroko was struggling with all his might, Hanamiya was looking at him in pity, but the mad grin never felt his face.

 _Tetsuya, no matter what happens, you can never touch this seal, alright? Even when you are in a position where you have no power, or when there is something that distresses you greatly, no matter what, you cannot touch this seal. Do you understand? This is a seal that your father and I have placed on you._

 _Because you are strong Tetsuya, too strong. You will be consumed by your own power without this bind on you. That is something that I never want to see happen to you._

Kuroko stared at the spider which was slowly starting to crawl up his arm, step-by-step, like a predator on the hunt. Kuroko even thought that he heard the spider laughing at him, deep and rough, as though mocking his useless, powerless, self right now.

Then his vision was abruptly replaced with the chains within himself. There, in the deepest part of him, lay a large silver lock, connected to pure white chains. The lock and chains were holding something down, something thick, black and ominous.

Kuroko reached out, brushing against the lock with his mind.

A static shock burst from the lock, rejecting Kuroko's presence.

And the darkness behind the lock stirred, shifted, stretching out towards Kuroko. It was formless at first, but then it steadily changed into a hand, a large black hand with sharp claws, calling for Kuroko to free it.

Kuroko blinked, and the vision was gone. In front of his eyes was the outside world and the spider was now near his shoulder. Kuroko stared at it.

 _Okay, Tetsuya?_

"…Mother…"

The spider stopped, and Hanamiya froze. Then he roared with laughter.

"What? Are you so scared that you're calling for mummy now?"

"…Mother…Father…" Kuroko paid no attention to Hanamiya.

 _It's a promise, Tetsuya._

Steeling himself, Kuroko reached out and grabbed onto the black hand. Immediately, the hand snapped shut around his body, constricting him tightly, as though it had gained a treasured prize. But Kuroko paid no attention to that, he threw himself against the lock. Grabbing hold it, Kuroko began to force it open. The static barrier from the lock ripped through Kuroko's mind, slowly tearing it apart.

His body went slack, and his eyes glazed over.

Hanamiya caught his body instinctively.

"What, did you faint?" Hanamiya frowned. "So weak? You're no fun at all."

Just then, Kuroko's body started to emit a slow glow. It steadily increased, glowing brighter and brighter.

Hanamiya's eyes widened with alarm. "You! What are you planning! Stop that right now!" Hanamiya roared at him, but Kuroko remain unresponsive to his words. Once he realised that Kuroko wasn't paying attention, Hanamiya immediately stopped his yelling and took action instead.

"No, no matter what it is I will not let you!" He slammed his spider down onto Kuroko's chest. Piercing through the skin and bones in order to crush Kuroko's heart.

 _Mom. Dad. I'm sorry._

Kuroko ripped the lock open.


	6. Chapter 6

Akashi froze when a sudden, terrifying burst of power came from the sky.

The power swallowed up everything; from the entire expanse of the blue sky to the ground they were on. A deep, suffocating darkness enveloped the world for not more than three seconds.

Then the darkness cracked, breaking apart like fragile eggshells, and everything returned.

But no one was unscathed. No matter how much he tried to bear it, Akashi couldn't win against the pressure of that immense power. He fell to his knees.

The Otroks all around them had disappeared, not even a single trace was left behind.

With difficulty, Akashi raised his head to the sky.

Two figures were speeding straight for the ground. The familiar blue hair had Akashi's eyes widening in shock.

Kuroko was falling!

Akashi tried and tried to force himself to his feet but he couldn't move. No one else could, for them to still be breathing was more than a miracle. Somehow, they had managed to avoid death.

With despair, Akashi awaited the unavoidable crash to the ground. However, seconds before the crash, blue eyes opened and the descend of two people was immediately stopped. Kuroko flipped around and landed lightly on his feet.

In his right hand, Hanamiya was dangling from his loose grip. His body looked to be broken in too many places to count, and there was not a single sign of life.

"Ku..roko..cchi…? He… Is Hanamiya dead?" Kise was the first to speak.

Kuroko glanced over at Kise.

Kise's breath caught. …Kuroko?

Kuroko tilted his head down to look at Hanamiya. And then he simply dropped him to the ground.

"Dead." Kuroko nodded.

"Tetsuya?" Akashi frowned. "You, are you Tetsuya?" He murmured. Without waiting for Kuroko to reply, Akashi answered his own question. "No. You're not. You're different." He stated, assessing the person before him.

Kuroko turned to Akashi.

Then, he smiled.

That alone was enough for the overwhelming pressure that had disappeared to return all too suddenly.

"You…" Akashi grounded out.

Aomine's blood was boiling, urging him to call out to Kuroko. Why? What was different from before? Why did Aomine want to kneel by his feet?

Before Aomine could stop it, two words slipped out, unbidden, from his lips.

"..A…God..."

Kuroko blinked, turning to face Aomine.

"You are…a god." Aomine gasped.

"…I am not a god." Kuroko smiled gently, "But I suppose you may be right, my power rivals that of a god, not just a demigod."

"How…" Kise was staring at Kuroko with fearful eyes.

"My seal, I removed it." Kuroko replied.

"What seal?"

But Kuroko chose not to reply anymore, turning around and headed for Akashi. He stopped a few steps away from Akashi.

"Akashi-kun, I have decided."

"What did you decide, Tetsuya?" Akashi's gold eye was hurting. Every time he glanced at Kuroko, fiery pain exploded behind his eyes, as though to punish him for daring to look upon Kuroko. But Akashi did not show his pain, concealing it through sheer will.

"Haizaki and Hanamiya were right. This war will not end. Humans must learn their place. It is time for us to rule, Akashi-kun."

* * *

"What are you saying?" Midorima hissed, eyes wide as he stared at Kuroko.

Kuroko gently explained, "Hanamiya's goal was to acquire the Key. He wanted to create a new world with him as the leader."

"But –"

"Yes, he would have to give up his life. But apparently, he had found a way to counter that, by using me as a sacrifice instead. Too bad for him, he could not achieve what he wanted in the end." Kuroko chuckled, "The dead cannot rule."

Midorima's eyes strayed to the crumpled, broken form of Hanamiya.

"But now I finally understand what must be done. I will create a new world, without using the Key within me. The humans will be put back into their place. And I will rule."

"You will not do such a thing." Akashi glared at Kuroko. "Don't you already know it? Even if you attempt changes now, the descendants of the demigods are too weak. Also, I do not know who you are, but you are not Kuroko Tetsuya. I will not allow you to harm nor rule this world."

Kuroko only hummed.

"I am not, you say? Then, this appearance, this voice, if they do not belong to Kuroko Tetsuya, then who do they belong to? Won't you share your wisdom, Akashi Seijuurou?"

Kuroko smiled, but the mocking light in his eyes was much too apparent to Akashi.

"Are you testing me?" Akashi growled.

Kuroko lightly stepped closer to Akashi, until he was close enough to look down at Akashi who remained on his knees.

"Do you not feel my strength? You, who cannot even rise to your feet before me, your arrogance is truly astounding."

"I don't like you." A voice suddenly came from behind Kuroko.

Kuroko turned around, blinking at Murasakibara.

"Aka-chin is right. You are not Kuro-chin. I don't like this Kuro-chin."

Kuroko sighed, glancing around. Five pairs of eyes filled with rejection met his gaze.

"That's too bad, you guys would have been useful." Kuroko sighed wistfully. Then he casually shrugged his shoulders and said, "Well, in that case, you can all perish together."

Kuroko's statement was met with silence for a brief moment, before exclamations of disbelief rang out. A single voice came through the noise clearly, gathering Kuroko's attention.

"So that means you are going to kill us all? Aren't you overestimating yourself? Do you really think you have power that can rival the Key and change this world?" Midorima frowned. "There will be a war, this time, it is against you."

"A war is alright. Even better if I am the reason for it. I will only grow stronger." Kuroko smiled.

"What do you mean?"

"I am Chaos. I do not mean that I am a God, but that chaos is my source of power. Do you know? It's very easy to fill a person's heart with hatred and the desire to destroy that which causes them pain. And because my powers comes from conflict, hatred, and revenge, each time someone falls into such negativity, I will only get stronger and stronger. A war will make me omnipotent!"

Kuroko spun around, spreading his arms wide. His laughter echoed within the empty, destroyed hall.

"I will make use of the darkness in their hearts, and I will rule the world!"

Kuroko tilted his head, staring at every one of them. He looked at them as though measuring their worth, and after a short period of contemplation, he spoke. "I have changed my mind. Not yet, I shall not kill the five of you yet. Your anger right now is currently giving me wonderful bursts of power."

Kuroko turned away and then shot up to the sky. He stared at a particular direction, cocking his head in thought.

"Ah, that's right. He would make a good start. For my first move, I shall take care of the human king. It would be easy for him to start a war." He chuckled.

Unable to stop Kuroko, they could only look on as he flew away, taking with him his oppressive aura and releasing the tension among the rest.

Akashi's eyes followed Kuroko as he steadily disappeared into the distance, until he could no longer see him.

With effort, He pushed himself to his feet.

"Akashi."

Akashi turned, and even without asking, just by looking at their expressions, he knew that they had all reached the same conclusion. He nodded, and thought hard as the rest rose to their feet unsteadily.

"We need to find a way to stop him," Akashi declared.

No one spoke up, until Kise suddenly cried out in realization.

"Ah! Akashicchi! Didn't Kurokocchi say that Hanamiya had wanted to use his life to activate the Key? Doesn't that mean that if we managed to take the Key back from Kurokocchi, we will have a way to stop him?"

"That was surely Hanamiya's plan. But Kuroko's desire is different. Didn't he say that he was going to change the world without the use of the Key?" Midorima shook his head at Kise's suggestion.

Kise hummed. "But, you know, that gem within Kurokocchi is really, really powerful, right? It's something left behind by the gods for the demigods. If we were to get hold of that, won't we be able to stop Kurokocchi?"

Midorima's eyes widened.

Akashi, who had just been silently watching, spoke up. "That's right. It would increase our chances in stopping him with something as powerful as that gem in our hands. Which means that we need to somehow pull out the gem from Kuroko's body."

Midorima lifted his hand, unconsciously adjusting his glasses as he thought. When he opened his mouth after some time, his voice came strong yet soft, and his tone was neither neutral nor agitated. He sounded just like a parent telling a midnight fairytale to a child.

"Back then, during the long drawn-out war with humans, we were unsure of whether there was a betrayal among the demigods, so we had to take drastic actions to protect our race. Kuroko's parents had sacrificed themselves to remove the Key from where it had stayed for countless centuries, protecting us. Then, they even went as far as to force it into the body of their own son, using him as a safeguard so that no one could steal or attempt to harm the treasured Key.

"Because Kuroko was already extremely, terrifyingly strong back then, with him holding onto the Key, whoever wants to take it from him would have to kill him first. And that is surely an impossible feat for a good majority of the demigod race. Even if the five of us were to work together and fight against him, there is no guarantee that we will succeed. To protect the Key from being misused, Kuroko was the best choice.

"But, as a result of coming into contact with that godly item, Kuroko's parents did not survive. As for the reason why Kuroko was fine even after accepting the Key into himself, I have certain guesses."

Midorima paused then, looking around him to see that almost everyone was looking at him with sparkling eyes, the exact picture of eager children waiting for the next part of the story.

Midorima blinked, a little surprised at their reactions.

Akashi chuckled softly, causing four pairs of eyes to turn to him.

"Shall I continue the story?" He suggested. "After all, Shintarou's and my guesses are the same."

A small smile surface on Midorima's face, and he nodded. "Yes, that's true."

Akashi took over and began explaining, "Tetsuya's mother was the strongest demigod when it came to fighting and having raw power, because she was the direct descendant of the very first demigods to have ever come into existence. In other words, she has received the strongest blood of the gods. And it's not just her, but Tetsuya's father too, was a direct descendant. They were the closest to the gods, very much unlike us. Although our connections with the gods are still present in our blood, but it has been thinned out compared to theirs.

"And then, those two who held the strongest blood of the gods, came together and had a child. What do you think that child would become?"

Akashi smirked.

"And also, didn't Hanamiya confess earlier that he had created even stronger Otroks by piling up power over power? Taking that theory, Kuroko's words about him being a 'god' isn't entirely wrong. He is not an original god, but he can, to an extent, be considered as a being of equal status as a god. That is probably the reason why he could take the Key into his body, without repercussions.

"I highly doubt that anyone else could attempt such a feat and walk away with their life, excluding the demigods of old who had perished long ago."

Akashi's eyes suddenly narrowed.

"Back then, I understand that that was the best path to take, especially since there were cunning people like Hanamiya. If they really wanted to, I'm sure that they would have somehow found a way to contain the Key's enormous power and control it, which would then leave it vulnerable to misuse.

"However, what was best back then is now the worst outcome for us. Like Midorima had stated a while ago, even with all five of us, we cannot match Kuroko. We can stall him, perhaps stop him momentarily, but to truly make him cease his actions are impossible. Right now, we have to remove the Key from within Kuroko, only then can we proceed with stopping him."

Everyone fell silent after Akashi spoke his last sentences.

Kise scratched his head, frowning down at Hanamiya. Somehow, he couldn't get the idea of using Hanamiya out of his head. So he decided to just suggest it.

"Why not use Hanamiya?"

"Hah? Hanamiya is dead. How are we suppose to use him?" Aomine returned back gruffly.

"But he know, since he really wanted the Key that much, surely he would have gathered some useful information, right?"

Akashi blinked. "That's not a bad idea. But like Aomine said, Hanamiya is dead. Unless we find a way to acquire the method that he had wanted to use, we are unable to do anything."

Kise deflated, looking down at the ground.

Midorima's voice suddenly came, with a hint of urgency. "What about a hidden dungeon?"

"A dungeon?" Akashi repeated. "…I see, that's right. He should have had one, he must have a place where he can safely do his research and store them all together. But where would we find it?"

"Wouldn't the dungeon be near here? Hanamiya does not have a very wide range of power, so his creations have to be within a certain distance." Midorima's eyebrows were furrowed in deep thought.

Akashi nodded in silent agreement.

Aomine chuckled lowly, reaching up and ruffling Kise's hair. "You say some good things every now and then, huh?"

Murasakibara joined in, pressing down on Kise's head, causing him to bend over from the force. "Kise-chin can be surprisingly useful."

"What?! That's mean! Murasakibaracchi!"

"But isn't it the truth?" Aomine widened his eyes, acting innocent.

"As if!"

"You guys, stop playing. We should hurry and search."

Kise, Aomine and Murasakibara tensed up under Akashi's reproachful glare.

"Understood!" They replied in unison.

"You understand, don't you?" Akashi looked at them all, his expression grim.

"We have to stop him, no matter what. And should the worst happen, we will even have to consider killing him."

* * *

x

* * *

 **A/N:**

Thank you for all your supportive comments.

I apologise for disappearing without a word. Right now, this story is giving me a lot of trouble. It's very difficult to continue writing this. However, I do want to finish this till the end. It may take a really long time, but I do not want to leave it incomplete. My track record of incomplete stories from all these years I've been writing is quite depressing, really.

From time to time, I will try my best to work on this story.

But for now…

This story will be on indefinite hiatus.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:**

05/10/17: Chapters 1-6 has been edited. There are some changes made here and there, and many things have been added. For those who have read this story before, I would suggest a re-read so that you will not be confused by the sudden changes.

Warning: This chapter is short.

That aside, please enjoy.

* * *

Akashi trailed his fingers over the large spread of documents around him. Quickly glancing through them one by one, making sure to not overlook anything, he completely ignored the mess Aomine and Kise were causing not too far away from where he was.

It took some time, but they had managed to find Hanamiya's dungeon.

But Hanamiya would never be so careless as to leave important information out in the open, even if it's in his own private space. Akashi had first found hints of what Hanamiya had planned to do hidden within completely unrelated documents. Therefore, he ordered everyone to search through everything, even those that may seem irrelevant. Which of course, increased the amount of effort they had to put in.

Even so, from what they had gathered so far, they found out that Hanamiya had wanted to make a contract with the Key; with a promise that he would provide a soul necessary for the Key to activate.

To say Akashi was surprised was an understatement.

He had never known that the Key was in fact a sentient being. The history of the demigods did not mention anything of that sort, merely calling the Key a tool created by the gods. Akashi did not know how Hanamiya had gotten such knowledge of the Key that no one else knew, or whether the Key really was sentient.

Kuroko was not here, Akashi could not test out his findings.

Akashi raised his head, eyebrows furrowing as he watched Kise fling a thick file at Aomine's head. Those documents…they have not been looked through yet, have they? He didn't find any mark on it to indicate that it had been read through. Akashi did not care if they wanted to fight each other using the unnecessary documents, but he would not allow them to carelessly fling around what may be the answer they needed!

Akashi growled softly, focusing on the thick file about to collide with Aomine's head. The file froze in midair, just two inches away from Aomine. Both Kise and Aomine turned towards Akashi at once, and the dual irritated expressions on their faces simultaneously melted into one of fear. With Akashi still levitating the file, they immediately dashed away to their respective positions; quietly and obediently going through the documents.

With a little huff, Akashi set the file down on a nearby table, silently entrusting the task to Midorima. Midorima looked up from where he was flipping through another file, glanced at the black file that Akashi had placed beside him, and then returned back to his reading. Though he did not say anything, Akashi knew Midorima would do as he had asked.

The only one that was not present here was Murasakibara. Akashi had sent him on an errand to try and temporarily stall Kuroko. He could not stop him in a battle, but since the fuel for Kuroko's power was the chaos within the hearts of people, if Murasakibara managed to calm some of the madness Kuroko was causing, it would at least buy them some time.

And also, Kise and Aomine was bad enough. Asking Murasakibara to stay and look through all the documentations would be equivalent to sentencing him to death. For both him and Akashi. To be honest, dealing with a sulking Murasakibara was too much for Akashi. It wasn't that he _couldn't_ handle Murasakibara, just that it was too tiring.

So he had sent Murasakibara away with a job that would fit him best.

Softly exhaling, Akashi looked down once more and began his dreary task of going through all the documents spread out before him.

This was taking way too long.

They did not have much time before Kuroko decided he no longer wanted to play around and instead, chose to single-handily cause a full-scale war.

Akashi knew that should the war happen, it would result in total annihilation of both humans and demigods.

"That is something that must never happen." Akashi hissed softly. "I won't allow it!"

His declaration seemed to resonate within those present, and they were more fired up than before to find a way.

Yes, they will stop him.

They had to.

* * *

Kuroko twirled around in the air, enjoying the way the human king before him was trembling in fear.

"What's wrong? Why have you not made your decision yet?" Kuroko asked.

The king opened his mouth, only to stutter so badly that Kuroko couldn't understand him.

"Hurry up." Kuroko ordered, now irritated with the king. "All you have to do is agree. I will provide you with everything you need. If you agree to this war, you will gain many benefits, Human King."

"Y-y-y-you… You are a slave, aren't you? I've never seen you before. Where did you come from?!" The King roared, his fear momentarily dissolving into rage. "How dare you, a mere slave, run around as you please? You may have a characteristic of a strong demigod, judging by that hair and eye colour of yours, but don't forget, we are strong enough to fight evenly with you!"

Kuroko blinked.

"You? Fight evenly with me?" He repeated.

"Yes! We have the best opponent for a disobedient slave like you; the Otrok!"

Kuroko froze for all but a second, before he broke out into laughter.

"You're talking about those toys? Alright then, I shall show you a little bit of my power, since you look like you'll need to see it with your own eyes in order to believe it."

Kuroko turned his head, and immediately spotted an Otrok running towards the King. How convenient.

"Look carefully, okay?"

Kuroko lifted a hand, palm facing upwards. He bent his fingers, touching thumb to his middle finger.

Once the Otrok was within five paces away from where the king was, Kuroko's lips quirked up into a little smirk, and then he snapped his fingers.

Instantly, the Otrok exploded into little pieces. But that wasn't the end, those little pieces flying in the air exploded once more, until there was nothing but ashes remaining.

Satisfied, Kuroko lowered his hand and turned to face the utterly shocked king.

"Do you understand now?" He asked, his voice soft and gentle.

"Why… How…"

The king babbled on, seeming as though he was about to have a mental breakdown.

"Didn't I mention it earlier? I told you that I'm different from the rest of the demigods. That's why, don't you think my offer to you is actually really good? After all, you want power too, right? If you were to go to war with the neighbouring countries, secure your victory, you can either choose to take them as a vassal state or completely erase them off the earth."

"Erase? Erase an entire country?" The king gaped at Kuroko.

"Of course. I'm capable of something as simple as that." Kuroko smiled at the king. "So? Isn't it a good offer for you? Especially since I will be helping you."

"Well… That's…"

"Quickly make your decision, I don't like waiting too long."

"But something of this scale, I have to consult my advisors. What's more, to receive assistance from a slave is…"

Kuroko growled.

He lifted a hand, and attacked the area around the king as a warning.

The ground trembled violently with the aftershocks, causing the king to lose his footing and he fell with a cry of surprise.

"Hurry up!" Kuroko snarled.

The king's eyes widened with great fear, overriding all other emotions.

"I-I…"

Kuroko suddenly flinched, immediately dodging to the left. The attack just missed him, and the human king was barely able to roll away from it in time.

Kuroko whipped around, and there, Murasakibara was glaring at him.

Kuroko's eyes narrowed.

Murasakibara was glaring at him, yes. But the source of it was not anger or hatred. In fact, there was a strong feeling of sadness behind it.

Kuroko clicked his tongue.

What an annoyance.

It would have been better for Murasakibara to fall, to become consumed by hatred.

Because that would allow Kuroko to grow even stronger.

"What do you want?" He spat out.

"Kuro-chin is not Kuro-chin. I don't like it." Murasakibara said.

Kuroko blinked. "…What?"

But immediately after, his eyes lit up with understanding. "Ah, I see. So in other words, you're saying that because I'm not your 'Kuro-chin' anymore, so you want to kill me?" Kuroko's eyebrow raised, looking very amused. A relaxed, large grin formed on his face.

Murasakibara shook his head.

"No. That's not it. Kuro-chin is still in there, right? I want to bring Kuro-chin out."

Kuroko stared blankly at him for a moment, and only when Murasakibara's words had registered did his expression change into one of annoyance and he growled out, "What a fool you are. Kuroko is me, there's no one else. The person you seek is _me_ _!_ "

"No, you're wrong. You're not the one I want."

Kuroko's annoyed expression abruptly disappeared and instead, he sliently studied Murasakibara for a long moment. Then, he said, "Well, I don't mind if you wish to fight. We can determine a winner between us by the one who manages to survive until the end." Kuroko smiled, shrugging one shoulder casually. "And if you die, I will be glad to consume you."

Murasakibara frowned.

"…I really don't like you."

"Then hurry up and come at me. Fight me."

Murasakibara grunted. Akashi probably would not scold him for fighting, right? He did give specific instructions to never become angry while in the presence of this Kuroko, because it would only make him stronger.

Then, a simple fight should be alright.

Because though Kuroko was not Kuroko, the person before him; that appearance and that voice, they were all Kuroko's.

Murasakibara did not want to hurt Kuroko.

"…Okay, I'll fight."

Kuroko grinned, his eyes wide with glee.

"Good! Then, I will let you have the first move." He said.

Murasakibara nodded, and their fight commenced.


End file.
